Blunt and Insensitive

Here’s a good example. And yes, I fully expect the Bad Karma Gods to come bite me in the butt for this one.

I’m a consultant on a big fashion show thrown down here every year… benefitting Veterans. I ran the show for 2 years and have been a major consultant since. I think this is the 8th year. I do seating, go with the new chairman (we get a new one every two years) to the caterers, and this year I’m modeling and running the models. So I zip down I-95, running into this meeting late as I had a previous engagement, I blow in, tell them what I need for the models, run through all the rooms telling them what I see could be potential problems, people are scribbling furiously, and when I’m finished I take a deep breath and say, “OK, any questions?”

Now, before I go further, the woman who works for the place we are having the event also works for the Breakers Hotel on Palm Beach... the corporation. Tall, elegant, class… a couple years younger than I, I’ve worked with her in the past. She says she likes working with us because we’re organized and we know what we want. There are no games when you work with me. She also oozes feminine beauty and elegance. I.do.not. I tend to blow in and blow out of places, speaking quickly and efficiently, and although I was dressed in nice slacks today, I would really really prefer to be in jeans.

The first thing the new fashion show chairman from my organization says to me is something like, “Well, do you think we can do ‘this’?”

I said, “Sweetheart, YOU can do ANYTHING you WANT. Nobody is going to stop you are give you hell… because all the women who would have in the past are now… dead. Do what you want.”

The woman from the Breakers looks at me in shock.

I continued, “No really. For years and years, if you changed ANYTHING, ANYTHING AT ALL, they were nasty to you. And they didn’t let it die. They picked at you, sent you nasty notes… it was horrible and demoralizing and they’re all gone now. Dead. And although it’s sad, it has really lightened the burden.” I turned back to the chairman and said, “So you do whatever you want. They’re dead. Nobody is going to say anything.”

And the woman from the Breaker’s… her eyes are wide open and she plugs her ears and says, “Oh my! I shouldn’t be hearing this…”

I rolled my eyes. Whatever. It’s true. That nasty ones are gone. They were a big help, but hey were also nasty. I have no room for that in my life.