Two weeks ago I traveled out of state. Yes, it’s certainly a hassle, but I did see some things while coming out of hibernation that gave me cause for joy and hope.
Things like people allowing others to go in front of them in line, people helping to remove their seat-neighbors’ bag from the overhead bin, with a “thank you” in response, people waiting patiently while the never-ending deplaning process proceeded slowly after a tiresome, delayed flight.
My empathetic wife always brings a small gift for flight attendants to thank them for their efforts, patience and service. Nowadays, I’m sure that’s more than just nice in the eyes of the recipients; I’m sure it’s also reaffirmation that humans still do care about the tedious work they do on the ground and at 30,000 feet. While we apparently have to hear about the losers from Darwin’s waiting room (a tiny minority, of course) who get headlines for their misguided, macho, mis-directional displays of frustration in retail stores and while up in the air, it’s really OK to share kind words or small gifts as little tokens of acknowledgment to people who serve us.
While Thanksgiving and the holiday season is obviously a renowned time for people to share niceties, tributes, and to generally act kinder, as I’ve stated many times in the past, it shouldn’t be that tough to ooze that sentiment, that consideration, for 12-months a year. It shouldn’t have to take morons misbehaving to administrative types, medical professionals, service industry stalwarts and others to make sure that the rest of us retain our civility toward one another, no matter how bad the last 21-months might have been for you.
And what better place would there be to calm the heck down and do what’s pono on a day to day basis than right here in the Aloha State? Thankfully, we don’t even honk here (usually). We use kind hand gestures to say “go ahead”, or simply wait a little longer at green lights, turns, or in lines. While that may sound trivial, take a trip to one of “those” cities, where the eighth guy in a car line starts honking when the light turns green…
Yes, I traveled recently; and airport personnel, flight crews, check-in executors, baggage personnel, and Safe Travels officials were as helpful and pleasant as could be. I might just travel again someday!
Think about it…