Courtesy is not Sympathy
maybe it's just me, but having now spent a couple days at the office, i wish people that don't really know me would simply not mention my father's passing. there is really no point and it makes me feel awkward trying to respond. a simple "glad to see you back" is more than ample. it acknowledges that i was gone. it was no secret as to why. i simply don't like feeling like i have to share something with you.
if you want to share with me your experience having lost a parent or perhaps have one battling cancer... i'm all good with that and am all good with sharing stories and experiences. it is just the words of courtesy that grate on me. "i'm sorry to hear about your loss". yeah, yeah, yeah. whatever. i lost my dad, he lost his life, you lost my attention. /sigh
one colleague lost both of his parents in the past few years, so he "got it" and shared with brutal honesty. he said to me "takes about a year and you'll be pretty numb the first month, but it does get better."
Posted by ac at May 18, 2007 11:48 AM