Worn Out Welcomes
This should be short and sweet. Only a couple points to make; first don’t do it, second if you do leave quietly. End story right? However, when you factor in _____________ the list becomes virtually endless. Saturday Night Live did a spoof of 1950’s horror movies and theirs was a trailer called, “The Thing That Wouldn’t Go Home”. Complete with cheesy music, obvious lines blatantly suggesting departure should take place NOW, and timed screams, “The Thing” just did not get it.
When you talk about a guest in your home well it can be touchy. Yet once they are gone you can do things to avoid a recurrence. Making sure you aren’t available for the next visit, risk friendship by telling them the truth about the previous visit, etc. What do you do when it is a resident in your neighborhood? What if “The Thing” is your next door neighbor who owns his home and your horror movie isn’t about him going home, it is about him and/or his behavior going away, period?
“The Thing” has, in essence, worn out his welcome in the neighborhood. He has not taken the subtle and/or blatant hints. His defiance has upset the cozy environment, now something must be done about him.
They say “You Can’t Fight City Hall”, but you can. The problem is you have to keep at it long enough for two things to happen; 1.city hall realizes you have a problem, 2. you will not go away until they do something about it. Depending on the size of the city will determine how much noise you must make and how long you have to keep at it.
Sometimes in the midst of situations you may wake to find that you have now become “The Thing That Wouldn’t….“ No one ever said that being right or correct keeps you safe from being labeled that which is unwanted. The truth is having to make someone perform at a higher level is not always welcome. How many calls or complaints from one individual constitutes an annoyance? You think, “I am only asking that they do their job”, while the party on the receiving end is thinking, “Will you let me do my job”.
When it is finally over and all is said and done, you may come to realize that all that you have accomplished has not had the affect you hoped for. Individuals who push to a point where all one wants from them is for them to be gone are clueless; while you can push them out the door or kick them in the behind, that does not mean you will cure that invasive part of them and keep them from doing the very same thing again. You must come to grips with the fact they were never really welcome, just merely tolerated, and now they have reached zero-tolerance.
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