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Essay: Ask for What You Want

When my daughter was young, I used to embarrass her when we went to restaurants because I asked for the table I wanted.  Someone was going to get that nice table by the window; why not us?  Anyway, it couldn’t hurt to ask, politely.  And, most of the time, we sat by the window—no objections made.

I don’t know where I got the courage to ask for what I wanted at restaurants.  Lord knows, I didn’t often ask in other situations.  But I remembered my father doing the same thing when our family went out to eat—which was a rare and special event. 

Going out to eat was still a special event to me and I wanted to sit by the window if I could—even if it embarrassed my daughter.

Sara is an adult now and takes herself to restaurants with her husband.  I don’t know where they sit and haven’t asked.  But she recently told me how she accompanied a friend to a chemotherapy infusion treatment.  The friend confided to Sara that she wished she could sit in the chair by the window for her treatment. 

“Ask for the chair you want,” Sara told her—and she did and it worked.