As per Thursday’s post about Alan Webber’s “Rules of Thumb” book, one of my faves was Rule #16, which goes “Facts Are Facts; Stories Are How We Learn.”
And to that end, take a gander at this double-sided “Do Not Disturb” sign I, uh, "borrowed" (sorry!) from the Sandman Signature Hotel. I was at the chain’s Toronto Airport location last weekend for a family affair (by the way, this was, by far, the BEST Airport hotel I’ve ever stayed at; a boutique feel in the middle of industrial-land) and was enamored with the hotel’s attention to detail, even with something like said sign, which most havens of hospitality sadly take for granted.
With it, the Sandman adheres to the adage "There are two sides to every story." If you can’t read ‘em, here’s the text. One side gives it to you in detail:
(The Long Story)
Hello.
We might be sleeping or not, could be working or relaxing, taking a shower, any number of things…
…OR maybe, just maybe, while looking for some ME time, I mean really, is that too much to ask. Just a few minutes, it’s not like we’re asking for something crazy like our own island or anything, just a little bit of time to ourselves. It’s not an unreasonable request. We’re usually quite friendly and sociable, almost always polite and so, all we ask, this one tiny little thing…
…please do not disturb. Thank you.
See, told you we were polite
On the other side, slightly more succinctly:
(To make a long story short)
…please do not disturb.
The End
So tell me, what stories are you burying under a blanket of boredom?