#61 | getting revenge
I said what I said.
A bit of a different type of post this week, but this one has been percolating for awhile. I am a very justice-minded person – as a kid, there were a lot of “it isn’t fair!” tantrums, and I never understood why some rules applied to certain people but not to others. I was not easily placated with the standard parental response of “life isn’t fair” either. Looking back on it, I do think this contributed to a high level of emotional intelligence as an adult, but it was infuriating as a kid!
My perspective evolved over time and with experience. I have a deeper understanding of the complex society we live in & can now explain why some rules apply to certain people but not to others.
This does not mean, however, that I can just brush it aside when I feel I’ve been wronged. All of the understanding in the world doesn’t negate that lifelong sense of justice!
Sometimes there’s nothing to be done about a situation where I feel I’ve been wronged, like when I had to stand in a 90-minute line at a car rental facility because the company decided not to properly staff the counter that day. The car rental industry is a disaster and I am not the one that’s going to fix it, so all I could do was be mad about the situation AND mad I have no recourse.
But then there are the times when I get to fight back. Times where there is someone to tell, someone who will listen to me & take action, and I get to savor that sweet, sweet, revenge.
I will spare you the details (you’re welcome to ask me for the full story if you want to listen to me rant for 15 minutes) but here’s the abridged version: In January 2023, I went to a new dentist for a cleaning. Over the course of the next 6 months, his over-treatment caused me to require two crowns followed by two root canals & two crown repairs after the root canals. I was in constant pain, unable to chew on the left side of my mouth or drink anything cold. I saw a total of 5 dental professionals & spent more than $6,000 out of pocket to finally be pain free in July of that year.
Instead of posting a scathing Google review, I filed a complaint with the Illinois Dental Society. After several months of mediation, with me asking to be reimbursed for my out of pocket expenses & him refusing to acknowledge he did anything wrong, we finally came to an agreement: he would write me a check for the amount I paid out of pocket at his practice but I was on the hook for the rest of it.
Even though I didn’t get exactly what I wanted (full reimbursement), it delights me to know this man had to spend six months of his life dealing with a headache that I gave him. After the many months of headache he caused me, IT WAS ONLY FAIR.
So the next time you feel wronged & want someone to take accountability, look into what options you have — there might be some you hadn’t considered. Let the satisfaction I felt cashing that man’s check inspire you to seek your own revenge.
I read this while sitting my dental office’s waiting room….
IT WAS ONLY FAIR