There are few things in this world that I hate worse than customer interaction. Just having to smile and laugh and pretend I care even one iota about them is so irritating. It makes me feel like a cheerleader-- totally fake and shallow. No offense to real cheerleaders since I just use that as my stereotype for the aforementioned fake and shallow I could say GothLolis but not everyone knows what that is. So I'll stick with cheerleader. Plus, I'm terrified of pink.
Back on topic now...
Anyway, I had to work the trade show again today and it was nothing but miles and miles of PEOPLE. Big people, small people; old people, young people; people interested in our product, people only interested in entering all the free give-aways. People EVERYWHERE. I was having a total meltdown. Usually, I can't take more than 20 people in a setting without getting edgy. There were hundreds crowding us at all times. I always have bad social battery life, but this time it was exceptionally bad. It only took two hours to reach 50% battery, and I still had four to go by that point.
I managed to secure some errand-running time that let me be alone. That helped me recharge enough to last those last few hours. Also, in the booth, once I realized there was a three-foot-wide table between me and all those people, I calmed down a bit and the battery life increased but the bright lights and noise were still brutal. Even so, by the time I finally got to head home, I was in the red zone, in danger of a spontaneous system shutdown. My social battery must have been at only 2%.
As I write this, I have turned off all my lights, so I'm surrounded by comfortable, lonely darkness. For once, I have no music on, so it's quiet. I'm slooooowly trying to recharge my battery in time for the last day of the show, which will be from noon tomorrow until six PM. I pray to God I can last that long without having a total meltdown.
I'll need some intense solitude if I want to keep successfully pretending to like the people...
Sumimasen!
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