Relax it

After my call, I take a pause and drink some of my water. I noticed New Recruit is standing up. His eyes are as big as hubcaps and he is constantly looking at his wrists. I decide to walk over before he sees if his letter opener is sharp enough to hurt himself. I tab him on the shoulder. "Take it easy." I tell him.

He's not breatheing.

"Take it easy." I order him.

He finally relaxes and begins to breathe again.

"This is the job." I tell him, "This is what Peak Season is. You can't clear out the queue in twenty minutes so don't try. Take one call at a time and help the customer. Always remember to breathe inbetween calls. Don't want it to happen. Don't even wait for it to happen. Just react to what does happen."

He relaxes a bit more and a little bit more color floods to his face. "How do you handle all this?" he askes me.

"I've done it six times. I'm used to it." I pat him on the back. " Plus I maintain my sense of humor."

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