Pleasures and Contemplations

I have a nurse friend, Alma, who doubles as a waitress at a local chain eatery. We were out to lunch and got to talking about her practices when she says to me, "You know Tree, nursing and serving are one in the same, you gotta please people." So, I got to thinking and wandered off on a mental tangent:

Are we all servers?? Don't we all have to please people? Whether it be a boss, customer, family, or landlord, at some point or another we ALL are in the position where the outcomes of our actions rely on pleasing 'the customer.' Isn't it funny that these peoples' decisions can change everything? For example, your landlord is having a bad day and fines you for loud music during your backyard picnic. Or, a lady throws a fit when you can't find her size in those Stilettos she was looking at and makes you look bad to your boss because you couldn't satisfy her with a mail order. Are people really that hard to please?

People have such high expectations anymore. We can't enjoy the simple pleasures. Like a compliment from a coworker, or a flower blowing in the breeze, or a generous tip, or another driver allowing you to merge on the highway. But wait..Is it having these expectations that others will be grateful for simple pleasures and then having disappointment when they aren't, or is it their ungratefulness in the first place that is frustrating? (Thus, not being pleased that others aren't pleased). Are high expectations good or bad? In a circle of self debate- Is it pleasing your self or pleasing others that is so complicated??