Self-isolating or a 14-day quarantine, whatever the heck you want to call it during these crazy times we find ourselves in due to Covid-19, is going to be hard-on-the-head for just about anyone stuck inside a hotel room for two weeks, especially those returning from medical procedures or traumatic experiences that challenge the mental health of the best of us.
And discourteous hotel staff members or overbearing security workers (some of whom would reportedly much prefer the term guard, the type with aviator-style sunglasses and a walking stick) don’t help a most-trying situation.
I may be 62-years-of-age, but you’d better believe I’m a dyed-in-the-wool, full-blooded, born-and-raised Cape Bretoner who has lived with the toughest of the tough in Nunavut for the past 22 years, and who still has plenty of gas left in the tank.
And you’d also better believe if you’re getting paid to tell me I can’t go for a short walk when I want to, you better be damn well-mannered, relatively soft-spoken and smiling when doing it.
That being said, show me someone comparing their time in hotel isolation to spending time in jail and I’ll show you someone who has never spent any time of note incarcerated.
To wax philosophical for a moment; as with most things in life, there are two sides to most situations and this one is no different.
There are avenues in place to help with mental issues anyone in isolation finds beginning to overwhelm them and, by all means, overtly discourteous staff members and/or overbearing security workers should be reported through the proper channels.
It should be noted, however, that speaking in general terms, especially through the media, paints all hotel workers and security members with the same brush, and many of these folks are doing their absolute best for everyone under less-than-perfect circumstances.
I, too, have had the unfortunate experience of walking into a hotel room that was far less than exemplary when it came to its overall cleanliness.
And, I must say, each of the two times that happened, a short trip to the front desk and a polite chat with the head of housekeeping had the matter resolved likety-split.
Everything seems bigger than what it most likely is when we’re under stress, and a 14-day isolation in a hotel room is an increasingly stressful situation for most of us.
Don’t get me wrong. There is no excuse for rude, discourteous or aggressive behaviour in this situation – or any link in the chain of the service industry for that matter – and those responsible should either be directed to change their ways immediately by those who employ them or removed from the position immediately.
However, we all belong to a great nation that finds itself mired it a challenging situation right now and the vast majority of Canadians are doing their best to continue their courteous, polite and professional ways.
To lean on another colloquialism, everyone should do their best to stay cool and ride out a heavy trip that’s grating on the nerves of many Canadians from coast to coast to coast.
And, since I’m in a borrowing mood, I’ll end this piece with with a Persian adage: this too shall pass.
Just food for thought.