"friends"

I used to travel extensively which, in itself, brought many forks to my attention nearly every day: smile or frown, be cordial or gruff, read a book or chat, etc. Anyone who tells you travel is glamorous doesn’t do it for a living and has not had the distinct pleasure of sitting in the window seat next to a guy who was sumo wrestling just before he boarded the plane. Now, I’m not complaining; let’s just say it’s not always a treat.

The occasional stresses and difficulties aside, I have met some of the nicest, most genuine people in airports over the years. Some of my very favorites are the gate agents with the airline I fly most often - these people endure entire days of things I only have to deal with for a few hours at a time, yet when you are polite and upbeat, they will treat you like royalty. Despite this, I see passengers verbally abuse them every time I’m at the airport. Kindness and empathy work so much better than impatience and vulgarity, and as one of the agents said in commenting on a flight delay not too long ago, “We want you out of here as much as you want to be out of here!” Especially so, I should think, for the nasty passengers.

To put a positive spin on my travel experiences, I read more books than ever before, typically about one book a week, usually a detective novel or a self-improvement or business-related writing that has been passed around among friends or snagged from the bargain rack at the bookstore. I often say that the books served as ‘protection’ as well, leaving me the option of reading or chatting with my airline seatmate(s). And, yes…they choose their books over my conversation frequently, I’m sure!

One day as I was waiting with a crowd to board a flight to Chicago, I heard an elderly gentleman laughing as a young customer service representative pushed him toward the gate in a wheelchair. The man was quite boisterous and his temporary assistant was positively in stitches. The agent seated the gentleman next to me and gave him some last-minute instructions before he regretfully returned to his duties. The man thanked him profusely and received a nice, “No, thank you!” in return. I heard this exchange quite clearly even though I remained somewhat buried in my book. After about 20 seconds, the man turned his attention to me: “You know, I haven’t been on a plane in some time; I sure hope I still remember how to fly!” While I feel I’m usually a pretty polite, considerate person, I was secretly a little annoyed at the interruption - couldn’t this guy see I was reading? I got my answer in a hurry – he was blind.

After I gathered myself upon noticing his sightlessness, much to my delight, we had a nice conversation for nearly an hour, speaking of everything from his profession to his alma mater, to the accident that caused him to lose his sight. I’m always hesitant to initiate conversation with people about their physical challenges (a friend of mine describes ignorance of the obvious as “the elephant in the middle of the room”), but he spoke so freely and easily that it was completely comfortable. 

Jim Rohn, one of my favorite speakers, told a story of how he visited a church one Sunday and took notes during what he called “a classic sermon.” He felt so privileged to capture the main ideas from the pastor and actually walk away with an outline. “I GOT IT!” Rohn said in his emphatic voice. How fortunate we are to have an opportunity to “get it” anytime we meet someone new. I walked away with some very valuable goods that day in the airport - a new friend, a greater enlightenment, a smile. I, in fact, got it. I now understand and remember that books, although valuable in their own right, will never replace the warmth of friendship.

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