Travel Woes
I've recently experienced some travel woes. Like many of us who travel by airplane these days, I had a few problems, my trip to Bermuda was a difficult one. An expected all-day trip turned into a two-day trip because of mechanical failures and flight cancellations. One leg of the trip involved the detested hours-long waiting in the plane on the runway before we took off. The trip home had similar problems, with cancellations and the attendant annoyance. I've heard stories of more difficult trips and, of course, I eventually arrived so things could have been worse. More recently, a taxi ride to a restaurant turned into an adventure. After a flat tire, the driver abandoned the trip and I had to depend on the California Highway Patrol for transportation. I have little to complain about: It was my first ride in the back of a police car and I enjoyed it. While others have commiserated with me, I have nothing to complain about.
I found in these (relatively minor) times of annoyance that remaining calm and patient was a complete solution. I was reminded of the old adage that teaches us to worry about things we can control, not events out of our control. While waiting for a flight, I was tired and anxious to proceed, but I was able to entertain myself with reading and people-watching. I enjoyed guessing the circumstances of the people around me, fellow passengers and crew on the plane. While dealing with the taxi driver, I learned things about the highway patrol officers and watched passersby who had interesting reactions to my problem. I observed resentment, amusement, impatience and even anger on the part of some and I learned a lot from them.
I think there's a larger lesson here. In any situation, we need to decide whether a problem is within our control. If it is, we need to exert ourselves to solve it, using all of the resources we have. We need to use our intelligence, our experience, our allies, our physical strength to solve it. Literally, we shouldn't rest until a problem within our control is solved. But if it isn't, we need to remain calm and patient, being sure we don't inadvertently allow the problem to grow. For example, a recent newspaper column of advice about how to deal with travel woes noted that a phone call can sometimes improve your flight status. Waiting patiently at the gate may make the problem worse. But once we've tried those sorts of solutions, by being patient and calm we avoid depleting our personal resources and help others, others who are calmed by our calm, who will follow our example of patience.
As usual, by behaving properly, we not only help ourselves but others around us.
9-1-03
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