SO?

I just love being able to ask that. And believe me where I work I get to ask it a lot. It seems that it runs in cycles though. Like there is some emotional bug that suddenly strikes and my employees feel an uncontrollable urge to prattle about almost anything that in most cases I can do absolutely nothing about.

Do I mind? Sometimes. And especially when they decide that they need to tell me about it during a real emergency. That’s when I have to try and get them to shut up. Believe me it is so amazing how when I look at them and ask “So” they suddenly and abruptly realize that perhaps the world is going to end because we are out of coffee or paper clips.

Those are sadly among the more pressing crisis that often come to me during these moments of less than sanity on the part of some of those who work for me. Which isn’t so bad when I have the time to listen. It doesn’t make for a good smile at times to know sanity isn’t required to work for City Hall. (If it was I’m not sure I would even have any employees at all and certainly a great many less citizens too!)

Of course I realize I’m only speaking as it applies to life in Mediocrity. I imagine where you live life is probably far more predictable and logical. Okay if it isn’t you don’t have to admit it. Just don’t tell me and I promise I won’t tell the whole world.

However with my city it is something I can’t avoid. Almost every day somebody knocks on my door with some stupid request. Okay they aren’t all the kind I can ask “so” about. Some actually are real concerns.

I just have to try and be careful not to be in such a stressed condition that when they do tell me some real crisis I don’t react with a “so.” Because I have found that people with real problems often don’t have the best sense of humor. Sometimes they can get downright angry if you ask that question when it isn’t the right choice.

Naturally when I realize that I made a mistake from the red face and white knuckles of my visitor I always try to subdue the situation. And if that fails I normally try to have my assistant Willie come in the office and say it was his idea. Hey, he’s not the Mayor so if he ends up with a black eye it is not big deal. I have to be concerned with my face looking acceptable for photos. You never know when that can come up in my situation.

You might say that is rather a rotten way to treat my assistant. But heck I do give him medical insurance and he is a remarkably quick healer so I just consider it one of those little duties for which he is compensated.

I just wish when some big angry voter was pounding the crap out of him he would have the good taste not to beg so much or scream as loud when he feels he has broken bones. I mean really it is so tacky just like when he insists upon bleeding all over the carpet. But then at least I am able to give him a nice carpet cleaner so he can clean it up later. I only think it can be such a pain when it takes him so long with a broken arm. Alas it is hard at times to get good help these days.