Alternate title: Smile
Customer Service isn’t that hard
Some people think that
It’s easy to smile and say hello
I understand
Your complaints — I listen and say
I’ll see what I can do about
Your situation.You’re not alone
I’ve been there. I’ve been in
Pain. I still smile
Even though I’m feeling that
The weight of life is heavy. I smile
What else can I do when
All these things hurt.
A less than stellar reverse poem — but I really wanted to do the W3 Challenge for this week which was to write a reverse poem. A reverse poem is one read forwards and backwards, line by line.
My struggle this week has been dealing with this darn shingles pain.
“Listen to your body. It’s trying to tell you something,” a friend said to me. “You’re dealing with a lot of stress.”
She’s right. I know she’s right. But I don’t know how to fix it.
The thing is that there are aspects of my job that I love. I do love greeting people — by NAME — I can’t believe how many people’s names I know now.
They stop and tell me about their lives. I LOVE that. I really do. I think I could listen to people’s stories all day every day. I heard stories about Maine and Nova Scotia, about Ireland and surprising relatives there, about knee surgeries and hip surgeries from older people who are DETERMINED not to let this hold them back but continue to live life fully.
My problem is that I am experiencing this nagging pain in my side and back from the Shingles.
And I feel like a wimp.
I don’t want anyone to come close up and hear ME complain.
So you, here, my blog-readers from afar, get to hear about it. SO SORRY!
Really close up, I’m fairly miserable. And I’m making mistakes.
I made a mistake early in the week, and my supervisor said, “But I showed you how to do that.”
Yes, she had — the previous Friday afternoon, after a full week of work and pain, she showed me this thing, which I totally forgot by Monday.
Dang.
I don’t like when I make mistakes.
I finally called my Primary Care Provider this week. I told her about this pain and she prescribed something for it. I’ve actually had two full of nights of sleep since starting it. The pain has subsided to a dull ache and I’ll live with it.
Or I’ll figure out a way to de-stress.
Any suggestions?
Hot Dogs and Marmalade 
Find a place in your head where you can hide. I have two . A castle high on a cliff, with an amazing view, I can make it day or night… Just see the view and hear the sea and relax. The other is a room cosy with a fire and comfy sofas and lots of books but you can imagine anyplace you want.
Get inside your safe place and cope with life when you have too. I can do this and still function in the real world….you can too with practice. I do hope you feel better soon. 💜💜
Thanks, Willow. I used to do that a lot with situations, but my counselor was concerned that I was taking it to an unhealthy level (I wasn’t being “present” in my life) so I’m trying to find other ways. Yoga is surprisingly helpful because it combines physical with mental relaxation.
I empathize, I luckily have four my level. I have a lot of back pain… I have broken my back twice…. I hope the yoga works., I like Pilates I find it helpful 💜💜
First I love this poem – a wonderful Reverse poem!! Definitely inspired poetry! Secondly, I’ve had shingles twice – NO fun at all! I feel for you. My doctor prescribed a lidocaine patch (~ 8″ x 6″) that I could slap on my back to alleviate the pain (which was so bad that I couldn’t wear pants as the waistband would send me into spasms)! I could wear it for 3 days and it was the best thing. I still have 2 left over but it got me through the worst of it…..
I may have to ask about that!
Well done.
Thank you!
You’re most welcome
I hope you feel better soon. I have not had shingles, but my dad and brother both have and I know how painful it can be. Glad you have medication for the pain.
I’m now telling everybody to get the shot. I had not gotten it and wish I had.
I got it last year. Not afraid to vaccinate to keep me from illness.
I’m not afraid of vaccinations. I just sometimes think like an idiot. Like — how bad can shingles be? Dumb, dumb, dumb
Sorry, didn’t mean to make it sound like you were afraid. My dad and brother both had shingles, so I had incentive to get the vaccine. I knew how bad it could be.
No offense taken. I live in an area with a fair number of anti-vaxxers, but I’m not one of them. I just was foolish when it came to the Shingles vaccine.
Sally,
Your the repetition of “I smile” amidst acknowledging pain is powerful, and the empathy and understanding conveyed make the poem deeply relatable to me… Beautiful.
❤
David
Thank you, David.
Hi, Sally! 👋🏻
Just wanna let you know that this week’s W3, hosted by l’il ol’ me, is now live:
Enjoy!
Much love,
David
P.S. I’m sorry to hear about your shingles pain. Taking steps to address it shows strength, not weakness. For destressing, try small self-care moments during work and find activities that bring you joy. Your ability to connect with people is a gift, so take care of yourself.
That’s a good suggestion. I work at a fitness center. I may ask to use a studio periodically for some yoga stretches. They really seem to help. On Christmas Day, I play rummy with my kids while in child’s pose. They found it funny. I found it relieving.
Love the two titles – great poem.
Loved the reverse poem, Sally. It is very relatable, drawing on something very tangible, and it conveys a wonderful message in both directions. Im Sorry to hear about your bout with shingles. It isn’t fun. Wishing you a speedy recovery. 💜🙏
Thank you!
Sally, this reverse poem was heart-touching. I do hope you find relief from the pain ❤️
Thank you. I’m kind of at the I’ll-try-anything point. At least the medication I’ve been prescribed eases the pain enough that I can sleep all night. That’s a HUGE plus!
That’s a great reverse poem! I hope you’re feeling better now 🌸
I’m working on it!
Great reverse poem Sally 🙌
I wish I had helpful advice, but I’m glad to hear the medication helped enough that you could sleep! 💞