"If you see only one
set of footprints in the sand when we’re together, that
means I carried you..."
It is so good to be on leave or on a prolonged vacation
isn’t it? The school holidays are just around the corner;
it would be great just to rest, refresh and revitalize before
diving into the second half of the semester. Since we don’t
have a semester break, catching a few days off would be
good as the semesters can be draining at times.
It would also be a good opportunity to ‘get away’ - away
from everyone and everything that constitutes work. I recall
my last vacation that now seems so long ago.
The first priority for me during leave is of course to catch
up on my reading - for class, for pleasure, for knowledge.
So armed with three books, one for each occasion, I headed
for the beach somewhere down south.
After a full morning of travelling, I was disappointed when
I arrived at 1.30pm to be told that the villa I had booked
would only be ready at 3.00 pm. So, with a book in hand,
I trotted to the beach to relax. I was more frustrated when
I saw how dirty the beach was and that there were no beach
chairs around for my leisure.
At about 3.00 pm, as I was about to head back to the villa,
I received a call from the reception informing me that my
room was still not ready and that the tenants were checking
out later in the day. Trying to stay calm, I asked if they
had another villa. They didn’t. Thus, they offered me a
room at the hotel instead. I, in turn told them the reason
I had booked the villa was to have a quiet time and not
be surrounded by a lot of people!
The person on the phone kept on mumbling something about
offering me a room while hinting that I was not an accommodating
guest. As if all this was my fault! Naturally I refused.
There was not even an apology for the inconvenience it caused
worded in the offer. Talk about bad customer service!
Feeling exasperated and frustrated at the start of my much
needed vacation, I left indignant, angry and most of all,
tired after waiting for two hours. Would I go back to the
same hotel again, most definitely not!
What stumped me the most was how some businesses could afford
to underestimate the value of good customer service. Surely
the possible benefits a business could reap from it should
outweigh the cost of doing so.
It doesn’t really take much to be courteous and do damage
control at the same time, to atone for an unfortunate error.
Or at least offer a sincere apology to your customers without
hinting that it was their fault. That would have been a
nice start.
I’m sure they are aware that repeat customers, not the new
ones, are the ones who help keep their businesses alive.
So, it would make better sense for businesses, especially
those in tourism, to keep their customers happy during this
economic downturn. I thought that was at least common sense.
But I guess, common sense is not always common at all!
I then headed to the hotel next door, hoping for better
luck. There, I hit the jackpot – excellent customer service,
smiles at the reception and the offer of a room with a loft
and two balconies!
The loft was cosy and comfortable; just the way it was intended
to be. The balconies I didn’t mind so much as I was planning
to spend my time at the beach anyway. And since it was on
the top floor, it was quiet as there were not many people,
just the way I preferred.
I checked in and left for the beach, without unpacking.
The beach was clean and well maintained. Since it was the
monsoon season, there were red flags along the beach as
a warning sign not to go swimming. But as usual, there were
a few adamant ones who braved the waves just to show off.
Clad in an oversized t-shirt, equally faded jeans and a
book in hand, I sighed contentedly as I settled in a wooden
chair under the casuarinas tree. The winds that were blowing
in my face were strong but still very relaxing for me. I
just took in everything with every deep breath - the sights,
the sounds, the senses. After a long day, this was oh-so-good!
There were several couples on the beach, walking, taking
pictures and writing in the sand. A few kids were running
around splashing water at each other with their parents
shouting above the waves reminding them to stay clear of
the water.
Since the ‘crashing’ of the waves drowned their voices,
I just sank in my chair and started to read. I’m such a
beach person,so I could do this for hours literally. I didn’t
mind so much not being able to take a dip in the strong
currents since I’m not exactly a good swimmer. I certainly
don’t want anyone to have to ‘fish’ me out if I went under.
But I did take a break from my book to take a walk along
the beach. I went as close as I could without getting drenched
to the water’s edge. I even took pictures of my footprints
in the sand.
And then I remembered what one of my students once said
to me, “if you see only one set of footprints in the
sand when we’re together, that means I carried you”.
A burden would definitely be lighter to carry when shared
together. And my only burden now was to indulge in my vacation:
to relax, read and rest… lots of it: to pamper and cosset
myself to rejuvenate my body, my soul and my mind!
