This morning I boarded the train as usual, sat in my seat as usual, and closed my eyes (as usual) for the trip to the city. This morning, however, I could feel her watching me.
My career in the performing arts has made me very tuned in to when people are watching me. I can feel their eyes on me, I can tell their attention is focused my way. It goes with being an actor, I think.
I cracked my eye to look for the source of my feeling, and I saw a woman sitting across the aisle, a few rows away in a seat that faced mine, staring. Not trying to hide it at all. Just... staring.
I decided to close my eyes again and just ride it out. I did peek every so often, when the feeling became unbearable, and each time I caught her staring. It was a bit disturbing by the end of my 45 minute train ride.
Finally, as we were in line to exit the train, she handed me her business card with a hand written note on it. She didn't say a word, just handed me the card. My naturally curious instincts had me taking the card from her and saying "Thank you" before I had looked at what I was taking.
As it turned out, I was being handed an insult, and I took it with a "Thank you."
She handed me an Herbalife card (for those of you that do not know, Herbalife is a weight loss system that costs an arm and a leg). On the card was written a note. Now, a good person would have said something like "Feel free to call me if you have any questions," or "I have had great results, you should give me a call so I can tell you all about it." Both of those are a bit insulting, but at least they are polite and a bit conspiratorial. A decent person would have said something like "I believe I can help you," or "You should give us a try." A little more insulting, but nothing I couldn't abide.
A terrible person would write what this woman did. As I looked at the card to read her note my heart dropped and I actually felt ill.
"You're too fat. You need this."
Excuse me?
I said "Wow, I'm really not interested."
She said "You should be."
"Lady, you don't know my life. You don't know anything about me. How dare you hand me something like this. I hope you have as good a day as you've just made mine."
She had the nerve to look insulted.
The woman behind me asked what she gave me, so I showed her. She hugged me and said "You are beautiful. Don't let that heffer make you feel bad." I almost cried.
The woman behind her hugged me too. Someone else patted me on the back. The gratitude I felt for those people in that moment can not be measured.
That this woman thought that it would be OK to hand me that card, with that message, hoping that I would call her to buy her products is astounding. How on Earth could she think that I would find that note enticing? What made her think that saying that would be the best way to get my business? What really pissed me off is that I said "Thank you" before I knew what I was taking. What an ass.
Not only did she ensure that I will never call her for anything, ever, she ensured that I will never use Herbalife. If a company has that kind of person representing them, I want no part of it.
So, to the lady on the train that tried to recruit me to your "team"... I hope Herbalife knows the kind of person they have representing them. I hope you experience, just once, what you put me through today, simply so you will know how it feels. You need never make any assumptions about another human or the path that they have to walk. It makes you an ass.
Also, your sales pitch sucks.
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