Philosophical...

I have spent most of my lunch break today trying to do a favour for a friend.

Valentines Day is just around the corner and she has an item that requires some further attention.

Last week she produced said item on the table and explained to me in specific detail what was required further...
"On that?" I ask unbelievably.
She nods, "do you think it can be done?"
I shrug, "no idea, but you can try."
"No, I can't," she explains "I am too embarrassed...that is where you come in."
I look at her suspiciously over my cup of tea, raised eyebrows forming slowly. "Me?"
She just smiles at me.
"Oh god, give it here then." I say reluctantly and she passes me the box. "You owe me."

Thankfully as part of my job, I know a lot of local employers who may be able to help with this specific task. I can not, I'm afraid, currently give you the full details of what is required, but what I can tell you though is that this item is quite small and the attention required to it is quite specific.

So I potter off to the first port of call, item in hand. There is a man in town who normally knows about this sort of thing.
"Nice to see you again," he says cheerfully.
I explain my dilemma and thankfully he doesn't request me to leave his shop but does explain that he can't help on this occasion and suggests an alternative of which I try.

I then meet a nice young lad of about eighteen and he smiles at me as I enter the next shop, where I produce said item and I explain my dilemma. "Hmmm," he says...."it is quite small, I am not sure if it will fit." But nevertheless he tries.  After some fiddling around he comes to the conclusion that his equipment is too big for the job in hand, (no pun intended)  and sadly I have to leave without having fulfilled my obligation.
"You can always try somewhere else," he calls after me, "they may have different sizing on the machine that will fit that." I thank him (but not my friend for giving me such a task) and leave with a new thinking cap on.

Ok, I do have some time to search around a bit more...thankfully the impending day is still a week away.

I also have to purchase a birthday card so I nip into the local card shop, only to be greeted with splashes of red and great big heart balloons.   Grumpily I ask for where the birthday cards are, and the young man behind the till tells me down to the left behind the bloody great big I Love You teddy bear...I am tempted to kick it as I walk past, but it isn't really the bears fault.
"I hate Valentines too," he says when I get back to the till.
"I don't hate it, to be fair, just not really in the mood this year." I explain as I pass him my money.
"I am in love with a girl in my class at college," he tells me (though I am not sure why), "she is lovely, but she has a boyfriend."
"Oh, well send her a card anyway," I suggest. "No reason why you can't try, she may secretly feel the same way about you."
"Maybe," he says wistfully, "but he has a plane and he takes her flying."
I look at him as he passes me my change. "Yeah, you're right. You're stuffed. You can't compete with a plane or a pilot for that matter. Move on or get your licence."

He nods in agreement sadly and I leave him with his thoughts, hopefully not suicidal ones.

So I just have one question to ask....do you think I am taking my new philosophical attitude too far?