Thank you to all of my teachers who made certain that I understood effective writing!
Last week I had another chance to use writing to solve a problem.
Three weeks ago, I ordered a pair of Birkenstock sneakers for 65% off from Nordstromrack.com. On February 21, 2018, a pair of shoes from Nordstrom arrived, but Nordstrom had sent me someone else’s order.
Frustrated, I called Nordstrom Rack customer service and a service agent told me that the company had no more of the shoes I had ordered in stock. He said that all he could do is offer me a refund within 5 days of the warehouse receiving the incorrect shoes back.
Writing to the rescue!
Not taking no for an answer, I found CEO of Nordstrom Blake Nordstrom’s email address as well as Andrew Breen’s (upper management of Nordstromrack.com). Then I sent them both the same email. The email clearly described the problem, how it made me feel, and my proposal that Nordstrom find me a pair of the shoes I had ordered that had been in stock when I ordered them. Also, I told both men that Birkenstock.com has the shoe I ordered in my size and proposed that Nordstrom Rack order a pair and have them shipped to me.
Andrew Breen called me within a few hours of receiving my email and ordered the shoes from Birkenstock.com.
Not the first time…
When I was in school, my teachers taught me to write correctly, how to write essays, and how to persuade others through my writing. This shoe event is not the first time my writing has resulted in a positive resolution to a problem. Five years ago, I persuaded the IRS through a written letter to write off all the penalties on a good friend’s tax issue and allow him to just pay the taxes owed. Also, I have helped at least fifteen disabled people get full disability on their initial applications without appeals because of the narratives I wrote for their applications. So I am so grateful that I am not part of the current generation.
Help a child learn to write!
Because they do not understand formal writing, some students today write the way they text on their smart phones. They use “u” for the word you and many other abbreviated spellings—because they simply do not know how to spell properly. Even sadder, some cannot write in complete sentences or write a five-paragraph essay with a thesis statement.
Parents, if you want your children to be able to solve their own problems when they are adults, they must learn how to write correctly. I am certain that Mr. Blake Nordstrom and Mr. Andrew Breen would not even have replied to my email had I written it the way today’s young people text. Nor would the IRS, the Social Security Administration, or the Veterans’ Administration have responded to my writing.
Not everyone has a “writing” brain, but everyone can learn to write to the best of his or her ability. Writing as well as possible helps everyone to solve problems!
You do not have to be a teacher to begin to teach a child to write. Children who read have a natural tendency to become writers. So to start a child on the path to good writing, you just need to read with him often.
Let the encouraging words in these near a river posts help you
soar like an eagle above life’s storms.
Having a bad day? Uninstall it and install a good day in its place.
Play the game of life to the best of your ability.
Prevent your child from using drugs?
Expect the best from your child!