There
are a few theories, quotes and opinions I’ve come across in my
life that basically hold as part of their foundation a version
of this thought (my words): The normal world is the world on the
day you’re born.
Incredibly
true.
And
yet, in many ways, too many to really consider, this idea never
connects with most people. To be fair, it isn’t really the entire
world on the specific day that we’re born establishing the normal.
It’s the surroundings and atmosphere and everything available
that establish the normal. We just miss it, then complain about
it later.
Consider
three stories from my own lifetime and experiences.
Story
number one: Trash
I
grew up in a house where the city handled trash removal. Every
week, on the same day of the week, trucks drove through our neighborhood
and emptied our bins. In what may be a slightly amazing addition
to this story, the same day of the week has been the service date
for that house over a run of at least five decades.
At
every address since I called that one home, I have had two options
for trash and waste removal services: (1) Hire a private company
and pay a fee. (2) Purchase annual access to an area landfill
or such, then drive the materials there on my own.
Yes,
some items do fall into special considerations. Large objects,
hazardous waste and so on may need to be brought to some specific
location. And sure, such city services were being paid for in
some fashion through extra property taxes and such. I’m not looking
for those details, just the general concept: For more than twenty
years, I watched a city truck arrive at our driveway and pick
up the trash. Since then, I have always had to make phone calls
to hire a private company, or, had to open the trunk of my car
and take away the garbage myself.
Story
number two: A journey by plane
First
time I ever stepped onto an airplane was 1979. There was a lot
of excitement for the trip, with my parents, sisters, grandmother
and I on a family journey to Florida. And the magic all started
on the plane.
Sure,
childhood, flying. Pretty sweet with just that. I also was handed
a deck of cards with the airline’s logo and a pair of plastic
captain’s wings. Which, yup, awesome. But then, shortly after
taking off and still in a state of disbelief while staring out
the window, I was served pancakes.
Pancakes!
On a plane!
Today
it’s hard to get a bottle of water on a plane without pulling
out a credit card. Back then, I was as loyal as a kid could be
to that airline for dazzling me again and again.
Story
number three: A tank of gasoline
Owned
my first car. At the time, thanks to the lacking union of cost
and technology (no credit or debit cards at the pump back then),
filling the car with gas involved this process:
1
- Drive to the bank, head to the ATM, take out $20
2 - Drive to gas station, fill car with gas
3 - Use change to pick up sandwich and drink for dinner
Yes.
I had enough money remaining after purchasing a full tank of gas
with a twenty that I could head to a restaurant and pay for a
sandwich and soda with the change.
Today,
a full tank of gas costs in the vicinity of $50. Basically, forget
a trip to the ATM, you need to go inside the bank and take out
a small loan.
There,
in three different stories, you have some interesting perspectives.
About service providers. About service levels. About service costs.
And, a bit deeper, about why some people have certain expectations
when they consider service options as a consumer.
In
some ways, these do reflect a bit of age. For instance, we shouldn’t
expect decades to pass and the price of a gallon of gas or a sandwich
to remain locked in. But honestly, age and dates aren’t really
the amazing parts of these three stories. As I noted, trash service
at the address involved is more or less the same today as it was
fifty years ago, they just use different containers and sort out
recycling.
I
suppose that doesn’t stop the passage of time from shining through,
where so many of us nearing aging-curmudgeon status seem to want
what we want with today’s bells and whistles at yesterday’s prices.
That’s not a totally without evidence accusation. Might even nestle
right up against the border of fair.
What
it really shows, however, is simply that for a variety of reasons,
we all view things in different ways. What we expect and how we
expect it is influenced by many factors. And we shouldn’t always
expect the person we’re speaking with to share those influences,
regardless of how obvious and basic they may seem to be.