Patience, civility please

It's Saturday. I just came from the Arlington Heights Post office. The line was long, and as usual there were only two service windows open. One clerk was assisting a family with passports, a long process. Ahead of me were a young man obviously sending packages to a foreign country, again a long process, and an elderly woman who eventually picked up held mail. We all know that sinking feeling when the clerk goes to the back of the facility to retrieve held mail, again, a long process.

Then a woman walked in, looked at the line, and went directly to one of the windows. After the passport family left, the clerk at that window took care of the newcomer, and the man behind me went into a raging rant. Now, I don't know the exact words he used, I forgot my hearing aid at home, but I knew what he was yelling about. Maybe the woman did cut to the front of the line, but there are other reasons this may have happened.

Have you ever waited in line only to find that you need to fill out one more form? When that happens, you don't have to go to the back of the line again, the postal clerk will tell you to return to the service window directly when you have the form filled out. I was the next customer up at that window, and again, between the face masks and my forgotten hearing aid I didn't hear half of what the clerk said to me, but I could see her hands shaking.

These civil servants have a difficult job, now compounded by COVID-19 protocols and a public running on empty when it comes to patience. Please, a little civility goes a long way.

Shirley Bolliger

Rolling Meadows