Overreacting?

Overreaction

 

I have to relate a humorous story to everyone.  This past weekend I volunteered at one of the best races in my opinion, the Nike’s Women’s Marathon.  This is an incredibly emotional race for the runners, many of whom are either survivors or running in memory of a loved one they have lost to Leukemia or Lymphoma.   We treated women at the mile 9 marker who were hurting in both knees, or who rolled an ankle and yet continued and shockingly finished the marathon.  That takes enormous mental fortitude and I have no shortage of respect for them.

 

But this story relates to a different aspect, it would be for the volunteers.  I volunteer with the Red Cross to provide medical support for major events like this throughout the Bay Area.  In the city specifically many residents do not have cars and at 3am when we begin to assemble there is not a ton of mass transit.  I was asked by the Red Cross employees if I could pick up a single person initially and bring them with me, considering they were only 3 blocks away.  No problem.  Two days before the race they ask if I can pick up a second person on the opposite end of town, they know it’s far but they are desperate.  Ok, again no problem.  Then the day before a third person about halfway between the two.  Finally ok.  I send an email to all three and let them know approximate times.  Now apparently in the flurry of emails something got confused and I picked up three but there was apparently a fourth request that got mixed in.  It exasperated the problem when I swapped a phone number and an address of two people.  Unfortunately instead of apparently 4 people, only three were picked up.  A simply mistake, these things happen.  Below is an exact copy of the email I received late, I will leave it to you to decide if he overreacted (keeping in mind we are all volunteers here).

 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Jeff.Webster@SFSailing.com [mailto:Jeff.Webster@att.net]

Sent: Sunday, October 22, 2006 9:19 AM

To: XXXX

Cc: Matthew Stein

 

Subject: FW: RE: Nike

This guy said he'd be only a minute or two late, twenty minutes later, I called and he was still in the Haight. First I think that is really rude to not be on time, 2nd if I had known he wasn't man enough to do the job right I would not have accepted his offer.

 

My phone never rang, sorry to all (like the effected runners and you Emily and Adrienne who put time and effort into careful organizing) because this person is too weak to know how to tell time. This person obviously has a real manhood problem.

 

--

Jeff.Webster@SFSailing.com

(415) 922-6969

KC9DPP

Buy (RED)