Taking it Out on Others

I am still trying to get my unpublished book The Split Second: In Consideration of Others or Look Up from the Phone published. I let myself get beleaguered with negative feelings and then, I “get back on the horse.” So, I am back trying to get a literary agent. I have not given up whatsoever-just trying at times. I offer my thanks to all who have been so supportive.

I remember a time when I was supposed to be changing flights in Charlotte, North Carolina. I had just flown across the country on my way to New York City where I would celebrate my birthday and enjoy that great city. The second flight was late, but I watched it come in at the gate. Moments later, we would be passengers would receive an announcement that all flights to the three New York City airports were cancelled for the rest of the day. As an “elite” customer of that now defunct airline, I was able to go to the lounge and be rebooked for a flight the next day and receive a voucher for a local hotel. No one in this situation is ever happy about this situation, but I maintained an “oh well’ attitude.

There were several agents in the lounge taking care of this matter with lines in front of each one. When I was at the front of the line in front of my designated agent, a gentleman in the line next to me was literally screaming at the agent in front of him. It was unbearable. He was communicating that it was wrong to stop the flights to New York and he had a friend that was flying in. After a few minutes of this uncomfortableness, I look at the gentleman and I said, “Sir, she (the agent) was not the one who made that call.” Amazingly, he calmed down. When he left the line, the agent with whom he was dealing thanked me profusely. A few minutes later, the same gentleman came back to me to inform me in an altogether different and nice tone that our luggage was available to retrieve in baggage claim.

There are two things to learn here when we receive uncomfortable news like this when flights are delayed considerably or cancelled outright: 1.) No one we deal with is responsible for making the decision, so it is downright cruel to “take it out” on anyone who is not so responsible. 2.) It is best to “keep our cool” in these situations. Obviously, combustible anger will not help a living soul or us. Life gives up unfortunate situations occasionally. It is best to meet them with humility.