I love the commercials that show an actor being grouchy, ornery or annoyed and then eating a Snickers candy bar and reverting to a different person. I’ve occasionally used it as a joke when I’m tired and said, “I need a Snickers bar!”. Coffee is usually the better answer for those moments.
Jeff and I were flying out of Ford airport and the flight was repeatedly delayed. The airport is under construction and there is only one restaurant available once you’ve gone through security. There isn’t a lot of space to walk and, if you’re obsessed with your Fitbit like I am, trying to get in a few steps is a challenge. Every hour or so we would be told we would be leaving in a certain amount of time and then the flight was delayed again.
Did I mention this was during Spring Break week? We were traveling for business but most of the people on our flight were on vacation. There was a group of kids that were traveling to Ecuador that were going to miss connections. It got so bad that the airport had pizza delivered when it had been about five hours after our original departure time.
When we arrived at our destination late at night, our luggage had been misplaced. It was in the airport but they weren’t really sure where. When we arrived in the lost luggage department we found we were one of several people in the same situation. The employees were helpful and funny. Everyone was joking while they tried to determine where our luggage was currently. There was also a bowl of Hershey’s Kisses on the counter that I made quite a dent in while standing there.
It was an example of realizing that “things happen” and sometimes, the person in front of you trying to help had nothing to do with the original issue. The teenagers were especially impressive as they sat, ate pizza and talked about what they would be doing with an unexpected day in their layover city. No complaining about the missed connections and missed day in Ecuador. One woman said, “I’m glad they realized there was a problem before we got into the air.” I agreed.
It was a good reminder to keep your cool in irritating situations because it doesn’t usually change the situation and probably negatively impacts someone else’s day. It’s the old adage, you get more bees with honey...
