This is a lesson about making a big deal potentially out of a small deal and on this day at least, I resisted. This is from June 18, 2013.
I had one of those days last Wednesday; you know, the kind that make people ask, "Did you ever have one of those days?" I got up very early and went through my routine; turn on my laptop and make my coffee. When I returned to my computer, I found a message from my Internet provider saying there was a problem with my account and to click on the provided link. Well, I did and it said to log in but it would not let me. I got my early morning swim completed, ate breakfast, and at 7 AM, attempted to get at the problem. After a call or two to ATT, I was able to receive the line for collections. The nice lady told me I was $56 in arrears on payment and that my service had been disconnected. Now, I always pay my bills and I had proof that the last bill sent me was paid by the canceled check I found on my Chase online account. But, ATT sends my monthly bill to my credit card at Bank of America and I had a sneaky suspicion what had transpired. Three months ago, when I dropped my ATT land line and picked up their cell phone service, I was told different things about how the billing would change. The man on the ATT customer care line told me that the bills could stay combined on my credit card but the guy at the ATT cell store told me they could not. I assumed that the Internet bill would keep being billed on my credit card but I would have to pay the cell bill by check until I was able to move it also to the credit card. On my last Bank of America, there was an ATT charge but it turned out just to be a carryover from my previous account. it was now 8:00 AM and I had to get to work at basketball camp. During a break, our camp director, Trey Austin, graciously let me work on the issue. Soon, I was able to make contact with another nice person from ATT. They allowed me to pay my bill over the phone with that same credit card and assured me my service would be turned back on immediately. When I returned home from camp at 4:00 PM, I was back online. Hallelujah!
In retrospect the whole crisis for me was over in about three or fours hours and I use the term crisis with a large tablespoon of salt. In reality, it was not much more than an inconvenience that I let irritate me. When my angst subsided, I actually took a few minutes and saw blessings in the situation. First, I own a laptop and I have the Internet and lost its services for only a brief period. I have a summer job which allowed me to deal with the problem immediately. I have a credit card and indeed, the computer voice told me I have $6000 of credit available! And lastly, I reached the right folks from two companies on the other end of the phone lines who were patient and genial and who were used to dealing with the kind of issues I was facing. I often make a big deal out of nothing. Of course, that's how work and relationship and family and church problems usually begin. Most are easily fixable with a little time and patience but we exaggerate the scenario instead of minimizing the damage or even seeing the opportunity for growth. I'm not sure I grew any from this episode of my life but I don't think I took any backward steps either. On some days, that's a win.
Applicable quote of the day:
*The picture is from www.helpmybudget.com*
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
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