There is a long tail to global events like the Covid-19 Pandemic. As tragic as the loss of life and disruptions at work and school, small inconveniences gnaw away at our patience and kindness to each other.
But then something happens that reminds us of the good.
Heading out to the airport for a trip out West, I ran across a familiar sign reminding me that I must use my credit card for a purchase since there is a national coin crisis.
Really! On top of everything else, I can’t pay for a pack of gum with a couple of dollars. Okay…it’s the long tail of Covid.
I was flying Southwest and my expectations of problems was met head on when we were informed that we would be delayed 3 hours or more because the First Officer (FO) had called in sick and they had to find another one. In Pittsburgh, which is just a stopping off place for planes, that can be a problem.
After an hour or so, however, they announced a found FO and proceeded to board us, assuring us that our co-pilot would be here soon. When we were all seated, the pilot came into the galley area, thanked us for flying with him today, and proceeded to get ahead of any frustrations by telling us some dad jokes:
“Apple is taking over the world and is working on a new car but they are having some serious problems. They can’t figure out how to install Windows.”
After we finished groaning, he then shared the most important lesson he said he’s learned in 35 years of flying,
“We’d much rather be on the ground wishing we were in the air, then be in the air wishing we were on the ground.”
As if on cue, the new First Officer arrived at just that moment drawing a rousing round of applause from his new found friends before he and the pilot headed onto the flight deck to whisk us off to our destination.
Resilience is all around us. I always say it is hard wired into our very DNA and if we aren’t sure about our own, all we need to do is to look around and find someone else willing to share some of their own.
© Richard Citrin 2021
