Message from the President
Greetings friend, and welcome to the May Comfort Connection!
If you are planning to go to the bank in Grenada, prepare to spend 45 minutes to an hour in line! Once you reach the counter, a simple transaction can take up to 15 minutes. Compare this to the usual quick stop and 5 minutes we are used to in Canada.
As long as it takes, even the local people are not okay with the wait. One man was sitting down and getting quite verbal. “NOBODY HERE! ALL I SEE IS SLAMMING DOORS, SLAMMING DOORS, SLAMMING DOORS. NOBODY HERE!” Everyone started laughing. It’s true, the counter he was sitting in front of had no staff people standing at it... but many staff were going out of offices and shutting doors behind them.
If a long line isn’t enough, there are certain people who go to the front of the line. They come in long after you’ve been standing there waiting, and just go to the front and "cut in." I noticed this mostly with older men. Forget about the line, just shuffle your way through the line and stand at the front for the next available teller.
The first, second, and third time this happened to me, I was miffed! "What gives them the right to butt in front of me and not have to wait? That takes nerve!" I thought to myself.
Then I asked the lady in front of me what was going on. I had been waiting over half an hour in a line of about 8 people. Then a man came in from outside, worked his way to the front, and now he was 3 people in front of me! I asked, "Is this a thing? How can he just go to the front of the line like that?"
She explained to me that elderly people are given precedence. In fact, some banks have a separate line just for the elderly so they don’t have to wait. Then I realized, "Oh, so it is a thing!!!!"
Imagine me, a home-care owner whose primary goal is to take care of seniors, and treat them with dignity and respect. This was like a slap in the face! Of course I would give up my seat for a senior! That seems easier than giving up my place in line. But good for Grenada: they got it right. They make it "a thing" to give precedence to their elderly people and give them the first place in a long line at the bank!
How can we seek more ways to honour our elderly? What are some ways we can serve those who have served us so well? We can give up our seats, hold doors open, carry a walker down some stairs, and yes, even give up our place in line!
