I was fortunate to be in Washington, DC last week and it was wonderful, except for the people. There were people at the airport, both when flying out of and back into Dallas. There were people at the hotel. Lots of people because a convention was being hosted there. And there were people at my beloved Smithsonian museums. They were everywhere, and not all of them lived up to my behavioral expectations. So, how does one maintain some semblance of calm in such situations? Cut them some slack. A few weeks ago we discussed always doing your best, even when your best today is not your best ever. Whether you realize it or not, you have dawdled in an aisle at the grocery store, gotten in the way of others as they’ve tried to walk on a sidewalk, and pulled some bonehead moves while driving. Yes, yes, you have. And so have I. Did everyone affected by your behavior curse and flip you off? Nope. In fact, most of them cut you some slack and moved on with their lives.
When we disrupt the lives of complete strangers, rarely do we do it intentionally. We’re trying our best, but just not in the game that day. So how can we expect perfection from others when we can’t realize it ourselves? There’s no need to become frustrated or angry. Be nice. Be kind. Be forgiving. Offer a helping hand when appropriate. We’ve all had bad days and, on those bad days, we’re usually more frustrated than the folks we’ve frustrated!
For all you parents out there, here’s a link to a video that sums up travelling by air with young children perfectly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFI7T7jEu0I