So, I found myself dealing with the St. Mary’s setup the other day. Thought it’d be straightforward, you know? Just needed to check something out, maybe related to their local bulletin board or some program they run. Nothing fancy.
Walked over there. First thing you notice is, well, it’s a place with history. And sometimes history means things are a bit… layered. Like papers on top of papers. Finding the right info felt like a treasure hunt, but without the map.
Trying to get things sorted
Figured I’d ask someone. Seemed logical. Talked to the first person I saw behind a desk. Nice enough, but they weren’t the right person. Sent me down a hall. Okay, fair enough. Found the next person, or rather, where they were supposed to be. They were out. Naturally.
Waited a bit. Tried someone else. Got that look, you know the one? The “I work here but have no idea what you’re talking about” look. It wasn’t exactly unfriendly, just… confusing. Like everyone was operating in their own little world.
It really took me back.
Felt just like my time at that big software firm years ago. Remember needing to get a simple project approved? Required signatures from three different managers, two of whom actively disliked each other and wouldn’t be in the same meeting. One was always “traveling”, even when you could see him down the hall getting coffee. You’d spend weeks just chasing shadows.
- Fill out Form A.
- Get Form A signed by Manager X.
- Submit Form A to Department Y.
- Wait for Department Y to send you Form B.
- Realize Form A was the wrong version.
- Start over.
Same energy at St. Mary’s, just on a smaller scale. Different silos, information not flowing, people doing their jobs but not really connecting the dots for the outsiders trying to navigate it. It wasn’t malice, just… the way things were.
Ended up finding a scrap of paper pinned way in the back, half covered by an old flyer for a bake sale from last year. Maybe it had the info I needed? Hard to tell. It was scribbled and faded.
Left there feeling a bit tired, honestly. Didn’t get mad or anything. What’s the point? Some things are just complicated, messy. Whether it’s a community spot or a giant corporation, you run into the same human stuff. Just gotta roll with it, I guess. Grabbed a coffee afterward and just sat with that thought for a while.
