Customer service karma is with me this week. Doctor's offices are calling my cell phone with happy test results in a prompt manner, and then there is the food industry. It's amazing what a simple smile along with please and thank you can do for you when communicating. Rarely do these things fail me.

These last two days were no exception. On Wednesday afternoon, I came into work learning that down the block, Chipotle was giving out free burritos simply by using their fax-in order form. The company is trying to promote this service to neighboring businesses. Well, I missed the cut-off for the free burritos and had brought my own food (spinach feta cake) to eat later that night anyway. However, the next evening I was hungry and was out of all my Whole Foods rations. I figured that perhaps they'd be willing to extend their offer to another day. Peter, a laid back African tech that I supervise, wasn't there on Wednesday either so he also missed the free grub. I called ahead to see if they'd allow us. The manager at Chipotle, Eric, got on the phone and approved our appeal! I had a wonderful veggie fajita burrito with green peppers, onions, black beans, rice, mild salsa, guacamole, and lettuce. Yum!!!!!! Thank you Eric!! You made my day! If you know this Eric guy, give him a big kiss for me, haha.

Today I had a coupon for 50% off coffee and 2 bucks off pizza at the Loring Coffee House. It's a new spot in my neighborhood where all the community college kids come to study and they also have a nice happy hour wine special. They always have fantastic desserts on hand and wireless web. I ordered a soy latte and a veggie/pesto pizza. I sat down to read all the leftie propaganda free press (City pages, blah blah) and other free periodicals special to MPLS such as the Skyway News.

Five or ten minutes went by. I still did not have my Joe. I went up to the counter and learned that somehow my order was back-up/forgotten/what not and that Mr. and Mrs. Chai drinks who came after me were done first. The cashier apologized and next thing I knew, she brought me a larger sized latte at no additional charge. Being that I was drinking this at 4 pm and don't wish to be up till 4 am tonight tweakin on caffeine, this could be a blessing or a curse, haha.

My pizza was also not done after about fifteen minutes. I went up and asked when it would be ready. The other server said, "about two more minutes." She then came up to me as I was reading, asking if I'd like another coffee since I had been waiting so long. I told her, no, no, no more caffeine, but hey, I'd go for a free dessert if she's offering. So, after a pizza which, really was worth the wait, I also got a free slice of tiramisu. Oh, everything was just heaven! I love this place!

Gosh, if only I could do this for patients and their caregivers when they have to deal with long lines, insurance SNAFUs and unknowing, undertrained, underpaid cashiers who come from the front of the store to help at the register when we're too busy to help them ourselves. Big brother tends to frown upon free samples, unfortunately. Unless we as a pharmacy have a major F-up and give someone the wrong stuff, rarely do I get the chance to let these little pills go out the door unpaid. Instead I just give my sanity away to a chaotic system where people don't seem to get any better despite all the money they pay for their happy drugs and all the fat cats at the top are getting rich by cutting our staff budget and expecting us to perform as if nothing is wrong, or deny that we are breeding unhappy customers by decreasing adequate support service. Is that not enough?

Someday my goal is to undo the Karma I've created for myself from enabling bad health to perpetuate thru dispensing many agents which "turn off the smoke detector but don't put out the fire" and turn more people toward better lifelong habits. Little by little, this is happening for me.

As the Blues Brothers say, "We're on a mission from God."

One of my favorite saints which I just read about in my book last night is Thomas Aquinas. He broke against the grain in the dark ages to combine his steadfast faith in God with his lifelong study of Aristotle's philosophies. I just might have to make him of my patron saints. I really like what this dude is all about so far......it would behoove me to learn more. Hey, it's never too late.