Humanity Tip #1:Â Don’t tell fellow travelers you hope they choke on their coffee
__________
Two evenings ago, I found myself stuck overnight at a large international airport. I’ll spare the name. Let’s just say it was O’Something.
I get it. It’s a stressful time for everyone. People’s itineraries are crumbling before their eyes. Loved ones remain unhugged and unkissed at final destinations. Business meetings require rescheduling. Planes are boarded, de-iced, and remain sitting at the gate, only so that passengers can be asked to deplane because the flight is now cancelled.
Few people relish an overnight stay at an airport. The circumstances, though, don’t bring with them a blank check to mistreat others and the surrounding area. Here are a few instances from my trip that gave me some insight on humanity.
◊♦◊
Humanity Tip #1: Don’t tell fellow travelers you hope they choke on their coffee
The natives become restless at 4:00am when the night lags on and only two fast food restaurants in the terminal remain open 24 hours. It’s understandable that coffee might soothe the cold body and relax the mind. With that in mind, I stood in a lengthy line at that hour among my fellow patrons. Only two young women, doing the best they possibly could, worked behind the counter. The going was slow, but what hurry were we in anyway?
It was about this time when a frazzled looking man, about six to seven people deep in line, stepped from the line, turned toward us all, and told us and the employees that he hoped we all choked on our coffee. At that point, he huffed away.
O’Something is a large airport, but when you’re sleeping overnight, and the terminals have emptied save for custodial staff, the environment becomes much, much smaller. We’re all in this together–no need to wish bodily harm on your fellow travelers.
Takeaways: Interdependence, empathy
◊♦◊
Humanity Tip #2: Look to the children for hope
|
They were in the moment. Not focused on all the negativity of what they were missing but excited about the present.
|
The sanest individuals I saw that evening were the children. A toddler in pink footie pajamas bumbling up to the large illuminated advertisement billboards with wide eyes. A three year old girl telling knock knock jokes to her exhausted parents at 2am. A teen boy with his father playing Angry Birds together on the IPad and telling me how he was racing the other half of his family home. He smirked when he told me that he was just the slightest big pleased when he learned that his mother and sister’s flight was cancelled the night before as well. “We’ll catch up now!” he said brightly.
They were in the moment. Not focused on all the negativity of what they were missing but excited about the present. They were doing the best they could in the situation in which they were placed.
Takeaways: Perspective, mindfulness, joy
◊♦◊
Humanity Tip #3: Take time to talk to the Catholic mother who tells you about where she gets her underwear
|
Sometimes our frustrations in difficult situations like an overnight airport visit has us shrink into our shells. Sometime emerging from the shell, though, brings with it opportunities to improve someone else’s experience as well as your own.
|
I struck up a conversation with a woman as we waited at the gate the next morning. She had spent the evening at the airport also. Well, most of the evening anyway. I say that because she informed me that the best place to buy women’s underwear in a pinch was Walgreens, as this is where she went before returning to the airport sometime later. I soon after met her husband and son, learned of her love/hate relationship with private Catholic schooling, and received a bit of additional TMI when I learned she’s menopausal.
The conversation wasn’t always comfortable, but what she said afterward struck me most. She said, “God bless you for listening to a kook like me. Few people actually take the time to listen to me.” We laughed and parted ways. Sometimes our frustrations in difficult situations like an overnight airport visit has us shrink into our shells. Sometime emerging from the shell, though, brings with it opportunities to improve someone else’s experience as well as your own.
Takeaways: Humor, connection
◊♦◊
Humanity Tip #4: Buy a stranger a hashbrown
Standing in line for breakfast, a young man two customers in front of me ordered a water and two hashbrowns. When the cashier rang the total, it came to above $5.00. This young man only had $5.00 cash on him. As a result, he chose to decrease his order by one less hashbrown. He paid and stepped aside to wait for his order number to be called. The next customer in line, having heard this exchange, ordered an extra hashbrown with his order and promptly handed it over upon receiving it. The young man was extremely grateful. The smile on his face alone, just from a $1.00 hashbrown, spoke volumes about the faith one gains in humanity with the simplest of gestures.
Takeaways: Generosity, attention to detail
◊♦◊
Humanity Tip #5: Strive to be like the flight attendant by the bathroom
I boarded my plane for what would be my eventual flight home at 6:00am. My seat was on the aisle, directly next to the bathroom. One row back and to my left was the flight attendant’s seat and one of the emergency exit seating rows. A twenty-something young man who, admittedly, sounded like he had been through travel hell, sat alone in his row, essentially face to face with the flight attendant.
|
Throughout the conversation, she modeled forgiveness. She genuinely showed care beyond her job responsibilities, and she expressed understanding for the type of situation in which this man found himself.
|
We spent nearly 30 minutes at the gate, another 10 minutes taxiing, and then sat on the tarmac for over an hour. Throughout that time, the young man relentlessly badgered, berated, and questioned the decision of the airline, believing in some deluded sense that this flight attendant had any influence on whether the control tower would give us permission to take off. There was a time when I was convinced she would have the pilot return to gate to have the man removed from the plan. The entire scene was uncomfortable to witness, and I had just about mustered my courage to intervene on her behalf when we got clearance to take off. The situation quieted for the remainder of the flight.
As the masses stood to deplane once we arrived at our destination, the flight attendant modeled humanity. She began a conversation with the same young man, asking him how he was feeling, where he was headed, what he was looking forward to there, etc. Throughout the conversation, she modeled forgiveness. She genuinely showed care beyond her job responsibilities, and she expressed understanding for the type of situation in which this man found himself. It was brilliant to witness.
Takeaways: Forgiveness, understanding, authenticity
◊♦◊
Interdependence, empathy, perspective, mindfulness, joy, humor, connection, generosity, attention to detail, forgiveness, understanding, authenticity. Let’s remember that the ability to practice and appreciate these qualities are what makes human-kind so dynamic. In your next stressful situation, keep your humanity while helping others to do the same.
_________
Image credit:Â holisticmonkey/flickr
Like the Good Men Project on Facebook!
