If You Don’t Have Time to Talk to Someone, Send them to Voice Mail.

I’m one of those people who are really focused when busy and have a hard time shifting gears. I’m most like that at work, when I am deep in the throws of multitasking. When my phone rings during these moments I know I do not want to be disturbed.

I stare at the phone and think, I am too fussy to take this call, but then I pick it up and usually respond in a completely unwarranted crabby manner. I often end the conversation after a few sentences by saying “I can’t talk right now” in a snippy tone, even though it was I that answered the phone in the first place. I do it even though I know its inappropriate and makes me feel bad.

Worst of all, I do this most to my mother. I’m not sure whether it’s a child/parent guilt thing – like I feel it is bad to send your mom to voice mail on purpose – or what, but when I see her number on my cell I almost always pick it up.

Shame on me! I know when I’m not in the mood for chit-chatting but instead of waiting until I am I take out whatever stress about work or whatever out on whoever is on the other end of the line.

I’ve apologized to my mother already for my tendency to answer the phone in annoyance, and vowed to do it less but it isn’t just my mom’s feelings I need to be mindful of. Calls from business associates can also come at a bad time, plus they can be about tense situations.

Answering these calls when you are already stressed usually results in unnecessary shortness on your part, which can damage the work you’re trying to accomplish, your business relationship with that person or even your general reputation. IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO TALK TO SOMEONE, SEND THEM TO VOICE MAIL.

Even with caller ID answering the phone is something of a wild card; you never know what’s going to come over the line. Will it be a short, friendly call? Will it be an in-depth discussion about your friend’s roommate’s boyfriend’s antics? Sending a call to voicemail affords you the opportunity to hear what the caller wanted, giving you the information you need to decide whether now is a good (or bad) time for that conversation. If the call does require immediate attention, you will at least have the benefit of knowing the basic subject matter.

Misplacing frustration can be rude at best and irreparable at its worst; not everyone is as forgiving as my mother. The next time your phone rings consider your options: send it to voice mail and wait until you’re ready (even if that isn’t for a few hours) or take a deep breath and be ready to answer it. Either way, it’s your call.

Show a Little Respect and Get Out of the Way

I have a tremendous amount of respect for people who choose a career in service, especially those who put their own lives in danger for the benefit of others.

I’m sure a lot of that is because my dad was a volunteer fireman and EMT for almost 15 years. Some of my earliest memories are of those guys - I remember waking up in the middle of the night when my dad’s pager went off, and how holiday parties were always scheduled around when he was on-call. I watched them burn down our old garage as practice and before prom my dad was on the field demonstrating the danger of drinking and driving with a wrecked car and the jaws of life.

I don’t just respect the people and what they do, though, I also respect their rules and the part we all need to play for everyone to be safe. I seem to be in the minority of folks who do, unfortunately, and I wonder whether its because people don’t know or whether they just don’t care. I’m hoping it’s the former.

The offense that I’ve been noticing lately? Drivers who don’t slow down and pull over to the right when they see emergency vehicles behind then or actually stop the car when they see/hear the sirens.

If it was your house on fire or your spouse having a heart attack you’d want nothing to slow the assistance from getting to you as soon as possible. If they were delayed because of ignorant driver traffic, you’d probably think those drivers were liable for some of your pain and suffering.

Besides the moral obligation, its also the law. To paraphrase Illinois Rules of the Road:

• When you SEE an emergency vehicle, yield, change to a lane away from that vehicle and slow down.
• When you HEAR and SEE an emergency vehicle, immediately pull over to the right side of the road and stop until the vehicle passes.

Your current driving situation does not trump that of an emergency vehicle with lights and/or sirens blazing and its awfully self-centered to think that it is. Safety rules are there for a reason; they decrease everybody’s risk for bad things to happen. SHOW A LITTLE RESPECT AND GET OUT OF THE WAY.

Firemen, policemen and paramedics risk their lives on a daily basis to improve the safety of yours. The least you could do is respect them when they are doing their job. Safety first!