Alright, this month is going to be a bit gritty. A tad bit informative, and lot of “listen here”. I think it’s high time it was said, and we all truly listened: this world needs more kindness, and it needs it now.
As an “essential employee” I have worked through the last few months with no extras or perks, just the same wonderful job that I had before. What did change was our day-to-day operations. Going from business as usual to curbside only is no easy feat. There are countless procedures involved. Add in all the other safety precautions that were deemed necessary, as well as following mandated orders to operate as lean of a staff as possible, I can tell you that we “essential employees” are feeling tired. Not just tired, sometimes we don’t even feel “essential”. Why is that?
In the last few months that we have had to undergo the Stay Safe, Stay Home order (which I hope is lightening up as you read this), I have witnessed two types of people truly stand out. Those who are kind, patient, even understanding….and those who are not. At my place of employment, we have been honked at, sworn at, yelled at, made to stand in the rain by individuals who don’t care that you’re doing your best to help them while standing there drenched from head to toe. Around the state, other “essential employees” have been spit on, attacked, shot and killed.
What on this good, green Earth makes anyone think that this kind of behavior is acceptable? We are not children any longer. This is not recess or lunch time. This is life. This is human interaction. You are leaving an impression of yourself, and in these horrible cases listed above, it’s not a good one.
Countless times I have been told “you sound so nice”, “thank you so much for your help”, “you must work with people”. I’ve been asked over and over “how do you do it?”
Here’s my secret, right here in black and white for all to see - I choose to be kind.
Empathy is not necessarily something everyone just has and sometimes has to be developed (which can definitely help to play a role in how you treat others; putting yourself in their position). Kindness, however, is a choice that everyone can make right away. After a while, it becomes something you just do but it’s not always easy at first. After all, we all know that people can be difficult.
Every word, every action, my body movement, even the inflection I place in my voice…these are all active choices. Every interaction, every situation…you can choose to be kind. Adding “please”, and “thank you” to your daily vocabulary will work volumes to start. That’s the first step. After mastering the art of speaking respectfully, and politely, then we can approach the topic “the sales person you just screamed at for selling out of the item you like has worked 10 days straight, is stressed, and is probably trying their best”.
Did you know, as a consumer in this industry, that there have been several regulation changes recently? Your local provisioning centers don’t get a heads up all the time, they aren’t given a countdown of when these regulations will go into place. They simply get communication from the state saying this is how things are now.
One of the more recent regulations is that the recreational products made available in the state can no longer come from caregiver derived materials. This cuts out a large part of the market until large scale harvests are more plentiful, and it also will have prices rising across the state on select items.
The rollout of recreational cannabis in Michigan could have been done better, absolutely, but whether or not that’s the case: we are all here now. We are all active participants now. We can make the choice to be kinder, and to be as knowledgeable about what is happening in the industry as possible, because remember, this is not just your standard retail.
So the next time your item of choice is not available, or there’s a change in price in your product, take a breath and remember that the sales associate standing in front of you providing you with this valuable information is NOT in control of the State of Michigan, LARA, or the MRA. Technically speaking, that sales associate is going against federal law in order to provide you with your product. Cannabis may be state legal, but it is still, federally, a “dangerous drug”. Hell, it’s still lumped in with Heroin as a Schedule 1.
Not long ago, we were having to meet up with people we had never been introduced to before, in some dimly lit parking lot somewhere to get a bag of brick, or a few homemade brownies that reeked of canna butter. We have come a long way from that place, but we’re not done yet.
This industry is all about helping people. About ending the stigma placed upon a simple flowering plant that has miraculous, HAPPY properties. We should not be letting things make us vengeful, hateful, and out to get each other. We should be lifting each other up, supporting each other, understanding the struggles of others, and spreading the love.
Too often, we let cloudy, stressful thoughts occupy our mind, and those feelings manifest in our words, and our actions. Since we’re all cannabis advocates here, let’s try this: when you have these feelings, and you’re about to interact with another individual, pretend you just took a hit, or that an edible just kicked in.
Take a second, and actively choose to be kind. You may notice quite the change in yourself, and in those around you.
Stay happy. Stay healthy. Stay high.
