Recognizing insanity!

Aesop101

The people I envy the most are those who can determine the character of another quickly. We got a new boss at a place I worked at. Two people left shortly thereafter. They were decent workers but they knew something wasn't right with the new boss from the get go. I admire that so much. Not me though. Nope, I figured the boss was well credentialed and experienced. I had met her before she was the boss and said Ooo!, glad she's at another location. Two weeks later she was my boss. Still though I thought it was an opportunity to learn something and reached out to her often to no avail. Heck never learned anything from her. In fact I ran circles around her. That caused some issues.

We'll okay, the first meeting was just bad and she doesn't know me. Uh, what a mistake on my part. It was a brutal three years.

Then there was another guy that came on board about the same time as her. He was from the same company as she. Now this guy smiled all the time and seemed open and friendly. We started playing golf together along with a mutual friend. Seemed like a good guy to me. He even invited me to his wedding. I should have thought something was wrong then. It was a huge wedding with many many people there. But the guy had Star War figurines on his wedding cake. Uh! Don't know about anybody else but I would have done something to celebrate my new wife not my fantasy. Sure was a sign I missed!

This guy started doing some of the pettiest things this boy ever seen. I won't go into detail because it would be a 4 page post. One thing he did several times was lower his voice an octave and raise the volume to snap at me. Well I thought I had miscommunicated though I'm a great communicator (folks have told me that) or I thought I caught him at a bad moment. I give so much leeway. What ever it was I thought it was me. This happened several times I started calling it to myself the Weak Darth Vader imitation based on the wedding figurines.

Then one day we are out playing golf with him and a mutual friend. He was playing poorly. So I thought I would reach out. I use to be a pretty good golfer. Though it is rude to give instructions on the golf course. Still I wanted to help. That is my personality. Also I figure most people are good. Well he turns to me and does his weak Darth Vader routine. I've had enough of that. I said, Jerry, your Darth Vader imitation is weak! He went livid. Threatened to kick my Azz! Well at the time I had been working out very steady for a long time and could lift an enormous amount of weight and people at work have seen me do it. I looked at him, I looked at all 125 lbs. of him. His eyes were darting, searching in his head for an answer. His face swelled twice it's normal size and flushed red. He stopped 10 yards away from me. Scared to death. He probably thought I was wanting to kick his tail. Nope! I thought what a nutjob! Not a psychiatric term but accurate. Why didn't I see this before?! Sure had the signs.

I told this story to a woman I worked with later. She told me she had a boss who punched a hole in the wall over her head. She wins!!

Why did I post, I want to remember my failings not his. I carry no grudges and pray for him and his wife.