For the most part, I think we can all agree that some everyday courtesies have gone by the wayside. I recall years ago travelling a good distance on a family vacation in the car. My brother and sister creating all kinds of general shenanigans in the back seat with me is a vivid memory but one thing I don’t remember is my dad getting angry at other drivers. It was just a different time I suppose and driver courtesy was just something you did. Maybe it’s a function of today’s culture of speed and the overwhelming desire to pack every possible detail into every available second but generally speaking you just don’t see it anymore.
For work I travel from New York to Rutland a couple of times a week and this past week I noticed that on Route 4 coming from Whitehall as soon as you cross over into Vermont the road opens up, the lanes seem wider and the traffic dissipates a bit. There are a couple of spots that have some bridge work being done and the highway narrows to one lane where cars have to merge. Twice in the past two weeks Vermont drivers have slowed down in an effort to make my merge to the left a little easier. It’s a more comfortable commute that way and I repay the favor anytime I can.
Full disclosure here: I’ve spent the largest part of my life in a small town in New York but did spend the better part of a decade in New Jersey just west of the Outerbidge Crossing to Staten Island New York. I am extremely familiar with traffic during rush hour and have been involved in more than my share of a 45 drive to get 10 miles. Long gone are those days.
There’s just something a little friendlier in our corner of Rutland Vermont. The State Fair has just ended and one of the roads leading to Overhead Door parallels the Fair Grounds. Even on days where the street was filled with pedestrians the cars slowed for both safety and apparently an understating of just who has the right of way. I never heard a single honk of a horn. The fair-goers were pushing their strollers, holding each other’s hands, and travelling in families at a walking pace designed for comfort rather than efficiency.
It all adds up to what I think can be called Vermont Friendly. I believe we should come up with a fuzzy list of rules that could qualify someone to be Vermont Friendly. I would even entertain a Vermont Friendly aptitude test in case someone thought they were. But I’ll leave that to the fine folks in Vermont themselves. I’m simply on onlooker, wannabe, at this point but I’ll use the lessons learned to do my part in my community.
The team at Overhead Door of Rutland is, most definitely, Vermont friendly to the very last detail. If the milk is empty for the morning coffee someone picks it up without fanfare or desire for accolade. When a customer comes into the showroom they virtually trip over each other to help them so as not to inconvenience them in any way including a small wait for service. That’s Vermont Friendly.
Our technicians arrive early each morning to double check they have everything they need on their trucks and to insure they get an early start for the customers who put their trust in us. It’s a superb group of people who truly care about the job they do. That can be rare now-a-days but it’s good business along with Vermont Friendly.
And lastly, I’ll leave you with this. If you want to become Vermont Friendly do for someone what was done to me last Tuesday. I stepped out for lunch and headed down to the supermarket for a salad. I was patrolling for a parking spot near the front. As I was slowly moving forward a man got out of his car and said “Sir, my wife just came out and we’ll be leaving if you want this spot.” He got out of his car! Vermont Friendly Approved.
The next time you need garage door service or a new door let our staff show you how a service company can be Vermont Friendly.