2011-05 - lola - Das Magazin für Düsseldorf

lola 19
Reconnaissance missions
Unfortunately,
life is full of situations that are much better mastered with a
bit of experience.
Since I often find myself confronting these situations
with less than the optimal amount of experience—i.e., I
make mistakes, fall on my nose, waste my time and money,
and generally make a fool of myself as I attempt to do
something—I have begun rationalizing all such attempts
as a sort of reconnaissance mission.
This is a brilliant strategy, which I highly recommend.
Thinking of life as one big reconnaissance
mission, both for yourself and the people around
you, will keep you tolerant of your mistakes and
those of others. After all, we’re only human.
Even better, my strategy will keep you sane.
My most recent such situation was an attempt
to get a library card at Düsseldorf’s central
public library. I had set aside a lunch break from work for
this purpose, and brought along my passport (I don’t have
an ID card, since I’m not a German citizen) and the fee. I
should also mention that I wanted to check out a certain
book immediately; I had already called the library to make
sure they had it.
I arrived in good spirits, thinking I had everything I needed
to get my coveted library card and book. But I was wrong.
I also needed official proof of residence, ideally in the form
of registration certification (i.e., a Meldebescheinigung).
This was the one thing I had not thought of in advance.
All manner of pleading with the library lady did no good. I
produced some bank papers with my current address, but
she was having none of it. I left the library feeling frustrated,
wondering when I would be able to make my second attempt
at getting the library card and book. Part of me wanted
to just abandon the project entirely. What a runaround! I
thought to myself.
But after some initial indignation at the audacity of requiring
me to provide proof of residence (couldn’t that
In English
by Lizzy
lizzy@lola-magazin.de
lady tell I’m trustworthy?), the voice of reason returned,
and my rational self realized that the requirement was perfectly
appropriate. Ergo, I had only myself to blame.
But that didn’t seem quite right, either. I’m no genius,
but no less bright than your average joe either. And there
seemed to be quite a few of those average joes checking
books out at the library. So how did they get their library
cards? Did they all need to make multiple trips before all
the paperwork was in order, too?
Of course not. All those average johanns have their addresses
on their ID cards. So the bar was set a little higher
for me, as it often is for a stranger living in a strange land.
That’s just the way it is.
But thinking of the whole experience as a reconnaissance
mission, in the service of ultimate success, made me
feel a little less dumb.
So the next time you fall on your nose or waste your
time, try my strategy. Tell yourself you’ve just completed
your reconnaissance mission—and next time, the prize will
be yours.