Try a Little Kindness

 

A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person. 

~Dave Barry~

Recently, Darling Husband and I flew from Texas to Greece. When we fly, my DH always freaks out about the weight of the luggage. There are multiple weigh-ins involving much moaning and groaning before heading to the airport. Personally, I just pack, and then pray that all will work out for good. But, this time we were traveling with a small dog in tow. I was more than a little worried about getting our dog, Katya, on the plane and also preventing her from exercising any odorous bodily functions in her crate.

 

We arrived at the airport and hurried to the back of the check-in line. DH nervously shuttled the luggage through the line, while I tried to keep the dog’s carrying case level and not dump her upside down which would probably cause irreparable brain damage.

 

Frankly, I was appalled to see how the passengers treated the airline personnel who waited on them. Let’s just say, there weren’t very many kind words being thrown around.

 

Finally, it was our turn. We stepped up to the counter, smiled, and offered our passports to the agent. She immediately noticed our dog, and exclaimed “Oh look, a Shiba Inu!” It is rare to find someone that recognizes our dog’s breed, and we began the usual “dogese” talk that only dog lovers enjoy.

A picture of Katya, the Shiba Inu, for the dog lovers who read this blog

 

During the conversation, we discovered that the ticket agent had lived in Alaska, our home state. As the agent checked in our extra bag, she commented that it wasn’t too big, so there would be no charge. Of course, our smiles broadened, and we thanked her for her kindness.

 

Later, we heard our names called over the loudspeaker at the boarding gate. We hesitantly approached the desk, worried that something was wrong with the dog’s papers, or the flight was overbooked. The ticket agent who checked us in stood behind the desk. She handed us new boarding passes and said she wanted to take care of her Alaskan friends. We turned our passes over, and realized we had been bumped up to business class. Business class on an 11-hour flight! Heaven on earth a plane.

 

Now, I don’t promise if you are kind to the ticket agent you will always be bumped up to first class.  But wouldn’t this world be a nicer place if we all followed the Golden rule: Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:31, NIV.) 

 

Or in the words of Thumper the rabbit, “If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all.” (Bambi)

  

 

 

Comments

[Corrie Covington]

Miss my Shibachka!!! And I love the waiter quote...

[Betsy]

Thanks for this reminder! I always feel a bit sorry for people who work at airports, especially while traveling people are under stress and can be rude.

I love your description of your husband's approach and yours to packing! I can relate.