Recently I ordered some things from a website. (If we understand that by recently we mean in this particular incident, because the nice lady with the key to the package room in my building doesn't even ask my apartment number anymore.) It came in two large envelopes. I know this now, because I got a call from an unfamiliar number telling me a package had arrived for me at my building. The neighbor, whose apartment shares two of the four indicators in my apartment number (so, closeish), had received the package. Had opened the package. (It's not clear to me if the opening was to determine more info about me, because apparently the receipt contained my phone number, or that was the point at which she realized, oh, I did not order knitting needles. I'm not concerned either way. Spoiler, I have all my things now.) As a result of the call, we arranged for a time for me to come to her apartment and pick up my things. Now, she did mention that she was already in her robe, if I didn't mind, which I mention, not because I minded, but because that may have influenced for choice of resolution. Because to me, playing phone tag, when my apartment number was clearly displayed on the package, seemed a little like more work. But as I was pondering this, going through choices, ranging from hand delivering package to my door, giving the package to the residential office to redistribute, talking to our mail carrier, I remembered two things. The person with the thing, gets to decide the solution that works best for them. And this is what's fascinating about the world. That we all have very different approaches to resolving the same things. Often the rules, at school, or work, or, in law for that matter, tread a tricky balance of trying to create the most consistent results, but not stifling the many routes we all use to get to solutions.
