I got lots of great feedback from my recent post about travel hassles, but no response was quite as stellar as this email I received from my grandmother giving me her two cents on the subject. I thought I’d pass it along not just because it’s good advice, but everyone needs a little grandma in their lives:
Lauren, when I was your age I would have done the same thing you did – nothing when your “male” seat passenger hogged too much space.
But, being the grown up I am now, this is my advice to you: you don’t have to take anything rude from anyone; especially someone who is so self-absorbed that he has no manners at all.
My reaction would have been this if it had happened to me:
1. Tap him on the arm (how hard is up to you)
2. Smile sweetly and remark: “Pardon me, sir. You and your newspaper are taking up more space than you paid for and I would appreciate your moving over and letting me enjoy the rest of this flight.”
First of all, he will be extremely surprised that a sweet little thing like you would speak up for herself; but, honey, you just have to teach some people lessons that they should have learned long ago.
You and I have been very fortunate that the “men” we’ve grown up with have respect for the “ladies” and would bend over backwards to not only help fellow passengers, but would have never infringed on another’s space.
Lecture over. Love you oodles.
Spot on, Grandma! You rock.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Takeoff, Talkers and the TSA
An excerpt from a recent conversation I had by text message:
Caitlin: I’m at our favorite Starbucks at DFW! Miss you!
Me: You’re enjoying a hot coffee and I just got groped by TSA. Fabulous.
And with the holidays coming up you, too, may receive the jolly gift of having a TSA agent feel around your sensitive areas! Merry Christmas!
You’ve heard about the increased security measures, right? Holy privacy invasion! Don’t get me wrong, I am all for greater safety measures as I fly. I understand that protection from threat is the number one priority in these increased measures.
But, goodness, is it awkward.
And the last thing anyone wants to be at the airport is out-of-place and uncooperative. Therefore, here are my top five awkward situations at the airport and how to avoid them.
1. The wrong footwear.
Slip-ons, fellow travelers! Slip-ons! It’s bad enough having to wait behind someone who must re-lace his shoes. It’s even worse when the woman in front of you wore her highest heels with 15 separate buckles.
Another tip about shoes: stash some flats in your carry-on. Your tootsies will thank you during your long layover.
2. Ding! You can unbuckle.
Whether the light goes off midflight or after you descend, 32 people will hop up in the aisle.
If it’s midflight and you must use the lavatory, you now have two options: do a ninja slide over the tray tables of the passengers next to you and race to the back of the plane or strategically plan your exit. This will take some patience, as you will have to wait for 32 others to finish their business, but, with luck, you’ll make it in and out with minimal awkward waiting next to the last rows on the airplane and back to your seat just in time for the light to da-ding back on.
If you’ve landed, just stay seated! You’ll be more comfortable since you’re definitely not going anywhere. A game of “hurry up and wait” does not make the doors open any faster.
3. Find an empty terminal to use your cell.
Recently on a connection in Detroit, I had to listen to a grown man coo to his girlfriend about her sexy policewoman Halloween costume. I shake my head in shame to remember the incident.
Direct quote: “Baby, baby. Oooh yeah. I can’t wait for Halloween. You’ve got me all excited. Mmhmm.”
Sheesh. This is just a modern common courtesy, friends. Have those convos in private.
4. Watch your elbows.
Once I suffered on the three-hour flight from Seattle to Denver with a newspaper I had no interest in reading in my face. The man next to me felt it necessary to hog the armrest and hold his reading material across my seat. Awkward, right? Space is precious on an airplane, and your seatmate deserves just as much room as you do.
5. You miss your flight, forget your passport, have to go through the metal detector five times (don’t worry, they’ve got special measures now,) or otherwise have a terrible experience at the airport.
Just smile! Who would I be if I didn’t end this post optimistically? Just remind yourself that your chatty neighbor in 16B really just wants a new friend, and I’ll keep telling myself that the TSA is lucky to get a feel of my goods.
Happy holiday travels!
Caitlin: I’m at our favorite Starbucks at DFW! Miss you!
Me: You’re enjoying a hot coffee and I just got groped by TSA. Fabulous.
And with the holidays coming up you, too, may receive the jolly gift of having a TSA agent feel around your sensitive areas! Merry Christmas!
You’ve heard about the increased security measures, right? Holy privacy invasion! Don’t get me wrong, I am all for greater safety measures as I fly. I understand that protection from threat is the number one priority in these increased measures.
But, goodness, is it awkward.
And the last thing anyone wants to be at the airport is out-of-place and uncooperative. Therefore, here are my top five awkward situations at the airport and how to avoid them.
1. The wrong footwear.
Slip-ons, fellow travelers! Slip-ons! It’s bad enough having to wait behind someone who must re-lace his shoes. It’s even worse when the woman in front of you wore her highest heels with 15 separate buckles.
Another tip about shoes: stash some flats in your carry-on. Your tootsies will thank you during your long layover.
2. Ding! You can unbuckle.
Whether the light goes off midflight or after you descend, 32 people will hop up in the aisle.
If it’s midflight and you must use the lavatory, you now have two options: do a ninja slide over the tray tables of the passengers next to you and race to the back of the plane or strategically plan your exit. This will take some patience, as you will have to wait for 32 others to finish their business, but, with luck, you’ll make it in and out with minimal awkward waiting next to the last rows on the airplane and back to your seat just in time for the light to da-ding back on.
If you’ve landed, just stay seated! You’ll be more comfortable since you’re definitely not going anywhere. A game of “hurry up and wait” does not make the doors open any faster.
3. Find an empty terminal to use your cell.
Recently on a connection in Detroit, I had to listen to a grown man coo to his girlfriend about her sexy policewoman Halloween costume. I shake my head in shame to remember the incident.
Direct quote: “Baby, baby. Oooh yeah. I can’t wait for Halloween. You’ve got me all excited. Mmhmm.”
Sheesh. This is just a modern common courtesy, friends. Have those convos in private.
4. Watch your elbows.
Once I suffered on the three-hour flight from Seattle to Denver with a newspaper I had no interest in reading in my face. The man next to me felt it necessary to hog the armrest and hold his reading material across my seat. Awkward, right? Space is precious on an airplane, and your seatmate deserves just as much room as you do.
5. You miss your flight, forget your passport, have to go through the metal detector five times (don’t worry, they’ve got special measures now,) or otherwise have a terrible experience at the airport.
Just smile! Who would I be if I didn’t end this post optimistically? Just remind yourself that your chatty neighbor in 16B really just wants a new friend, and I’ll keep telling myself that the TSA is lucky to get a feel of my goods.
Happy holiday travels!
Friday, November 05, 2010
"Let us found a society..."
"…that shall be kind alike to all and think more of a girl's inner self and character than of her personal appearance."
This quote by Tri Delta founder Sarah Ida Shaw defines a significant purpose of our organization, and, luckily, ties last week’s post into a neat little bow. And you know how much I love bows.
Sarah Ida (called Sally by her best friend and co-founder Eleanor) knew what she was talking about all the way back in 1888.
Today, however, I’d like to touch on what might possibly be an overlooked word in that quote: kind.
Kind alike to all. To all. Not just to Tri Delta collegians, alumnae and legacies, but to all. Let’s talk about that.
The value of kindness kept popping up for me this week, first on the Today Show. (I’m a huge fan. Watch every morning in lieu of “real” news. Judge me if you like. I also just realized I could write an entire post on how much I love the Today Show.)
Moving on.
The segment posed the question, “Is civility dead?” and discussed everything from our rude use of gadgets to bad behavior on TV. Or, to add my own point, calling people “fatties” in a blog post.
The second time the value of kindness appeared for me this week was at the Creighton Tri Delta chapter’s new member meeting. We had a long discussion on values, character and ideals, and evaluated the concept that each of our personal values links to the values of the Fraternity to create a giving relationship. As the new members discussed their own values, I contemplated mine: integrity, loyalty and kindness.
Finally, Creighton’s Panhellenic officers hosted a viewing of the documentary “Finding Kind,” a movie about a pair of female Pepperdine grads that take a roadtrip to celebrate kindness and work to banish the taunting and bullying that happens in “girl world.” It was an excellent movie and I’ve embedded the trailer below.
Of the incredible points the filmmakers made in “Finding Kind,” one in particular stood out to me: kindness is free. It doesn’t cost anything to have good will toward others and treat them with dignity. Selflessness won’t cost you a dime, but will pay the goodness forward in innumerable ways.
I was lucky enough to experience a random act of kindness just last night. After locking myself out of my apartment building for the millionth time, a couple friends helped me buzz residents in the complex until someone answered. That someone was an elderly man named Mr. Clem Crowley. It was midnight, but he was the only person that took the time to answer the call, put on his shoes and make his way to the lobby to let me in. I was not only grateful to get in out of the November cold, but also that he saw me as worthy of his kindness.
This week, I’ve challenged myself to reflect Mr. Crowley’s kindness to all I meet. I hope to make Sarah Ida proud and simply to add a little happiness in someone’s day.
Will you do the same?
The “Finding Kind” trailer:
This quote by Tri Delta founder Sarah Ida Shaw defines a significant purpose of our organization, and, luckily, ties last week’s post into a neat little bow. And you know how much I love bows.
Sarah Ida (called Sally by her best friend and co-founder Eleanor) knew what she was talking about all the way back in 1888.
Today, however, I’d like to touch on what might possibly be an overlooked word in that quote: kind.
Kind alike to all. To all. Not just to Tri Delta collegians, alumnae and legacies, but to all. Let’s talk about that.
The value of kindness kept popping up for me this week, first on the Today Show. (I’m a huge fan. Watch every morning in lieu of “real” news. Judge me if you like. I also just realized I could write an entire post on how much I love the Today Show.)
Moving on.
The segment posed the question, “Is civility dead?” and discussed everything from our rude use of gadgets to bad behavior on TV. Or, to add my own point, calling people “fatties” in a blog post.
The second time the value of kindness appeared for me this week was at the Creighton Tri Delta chapter’s new member meeting. We had a long discussion on values, character and ideals, and evaluated the concept that each of our personal values links to the values of the Fraternity to create a giving relationship. As the new members discussed their own values, I contemplated mine: integrity, loyalty and kindness.
Finally, Creighton’s Panhellenic officers hosted a viewing of the documentary “Finding Kind,” a movie about a pair of female Pepperdine grads that take a roadtrip to celebrate kindness and work to banish the taunting and bullying that happens in “girl world.” It was an excellent movie and I’ve embedded the trailer below.
Of the incredible points the filmmakers made in “Finding Kind,” one in particular stood out to me: kindness is free. It doesn’t cost anything to have good will toward others and treat them with dignity. Selflessness won’t cost you a dime, but will pay the goodness forward in innumerable ways.
I was lucky enough to experience a random act of kindness just last night. After locking myself out of my apartment building for the millionth time, a couple friends helped me buzz residents in the complex until someone answered. That someone was an elderly man named Mr. Clem Crowley. It was midnight, but he was the only person that took the time to answer the call, put on his shoes and make his way to the lobby to let me in. I was not only grateful to get in out of the November cold, but also that he saw me as worthy of his kindness.
This week, I’ve challenged myself to reflect Mr. Crowley’s kindness to all I meet. I hope to make Sarah Ida proud and simply to add a little happiness in someone’s day.
Will you do the same?
The “Finding Kind” trailer:
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