Tech Support Epiphany

I had a light bulb moment this morning. This occurred, mystifyingly, while dealing with the tech support at my work. Don't get any crazy ideas. It's not because my tech support is enlightening. They're anything BUT that. In fact, my experiences with them are very repetitive. They goes something like this:

1)I run into a problem with one of the program we use.
2) I call them.
3) Sometimes they don't answer for a while -- like maybe two or three days. Sometimes they do answer.
4) I tell them my problem.
5) They tell me all the reasons from 5 years to the present why I am having this problem, how hard it is to fix, how they like to do things, what we should have done previously so we wouldn't ever run into this problem, and exactly how awful and bad it is.
6) Then they tell me they don't know how to fix it yet, but they'll get back to me.

This little interlude usually ends with me figuring it out before they get back to me, calling my brother dearest to get me out of my mess because he is wise in the ways of computers, getting bad advice from tech support when they finally do get back to me, all of the above, or, on rare occasion, them getting back to me after a bit and actually resolving my problem.

It reminds me of dealing with mechanics. I feel like they're just trying to freak me out about things I don't understand, make me feel bad for mistakes I may have unknowingly made in the past that have lead me to this awful state, and praise the Lord I found them to spend LOADS of money to fix my problem. Since I despise emotional manipulation regarding things I have no emotional attachment to (like, say, cars and computers), this does not go over well with me and just makes me hate dealing with them. Leave the emotionally charged, dire straits, finger pointing nonsense at the door please. Tell me what needs to be done, present and future, and lets move on.

Here is my epiphany. In this particular situation, we've been over the causes. I've been working with these people for the past year. Fortunately, in this case, these problems aren't even my fault, as they came to be aeons before I started working at this organization. On the plus side, I am (unlike some people) very responsive and easy to work with. If you want to do something, fix something or have a question, I am reachable and happy to help. So, note to tech support: If you want to fix all this stuff, CALL ME AND FIX IT ALREADY. I don't want to hear all the reasons we have a problem. I don't want to talk about how bad it is that we're still with this service provider. I want to look to solutions, I want to move on. I do not want to dwell in whatever chaotic techy past that they so love to peruse with me.

On the broader spectrum, I think people, including myself, may do this in our own lives. We dwell on the problems and the causes . We meditate on how they may have affected us and how that may influence how we go about fixing our problems. Meanwhile, the fixing always remains a future tense kind of activity.

I see this sometimes in my logic when dealing with Male. I get upset because he did something that I consider to be a problem. Then all the emotions come back from when this has previously been a problem, why I hate it, how awful it is, etc, etc etc... It takes me a while to comeback down from this whirlwinded emotional frenzy. I think, in previous relationships, I used to stay there, immoveable, hurt that I was in this situation and sometimes even baffled. But I have learned over time. Now, I can take the situation from where it is, figure out what to do about it, and move on accordingly. I don't continue to bring it up, rehash it over and over again, punish the wrongdoer, teach somebody "a lesson", or dwell on how to fix the problem in the future.

We can be taught. Thank heavens. Now to only deduce all the other areas where I need to apply this invaluable lesson. I say to myself and all of you who may do this, MOVE ON AND GET TO THE FIXING ALREADY. In the end, the cause is really a minute part of the whole fixing process, and life would be so much better and more functional if we would stop rehashing, going over what we already know, and start moving forward. It's a very "Meet The Robinson's" kind of message. But if your experiences in dealing with this are any bit as frustrating as dealing with my tech support ( I suspect it could be even more so. what a scary thought), believe you me, it's SOOOOOO HOOO HOOO HOOO worth it.