“A little perspective, like a little humor, goes a long way.” (Allen Klein)

I’m an extrovert. I love meeting new people. I listen to conversations. I observe who and what is going on around me constantly. Secretly, I’m hoping to engage in interesting conversation whether whoever is nearby is a longtime friend or a complete stranger. Years of living like this has allowed me endless conversations and quiet observations as fond memories or life lessons. Such is the case as I reflect on another aspect of our recent trip to Alaska via plane and cruise ship.

• Downloading the airline’s app to my phone doesn’t necessarily mean check ins at the airport will go off without a hitch. I watch other travelers around me use the kiosk with great ease, while I struggle and eventually ask for assistance. Struggles like this cause me to wonder “when did we go from the desk agent doing all the check in procedures to having some of those responsibilities fall on my shoulders?
• More and more travelers are taking small dogs with them on their flights. Years ago I only saw service dogs in the terminal, now the barks and yips of pocket size pups are no longer a rarity. Last year a woman was traveling with her cat. I’m an animal lover, don’t get me wrong, merely an observation of one small change regarding love for pets.
• Security has really tightened, with no argument from me. Maybe it was my comfortable cargo style pants I was wearing for our 5:30 am flight. I found myself being asked to step aside from the body scanner to earn a gentle pat down by a very pleasant female TSA agent. At least I was able to keep my shoes on this time, a welcome change from previous years.
• Snacks on our flights sure have changed. No more food items with peanuts. Someone might be allergic. Never mind those little dogs and cats on board who are also allergens to some (myself included) but hey, when I emailed a carrier last year expressing my concern the response favored our furry friends, not my exposure to an asthma trigger.
• People who work on cruise ships are a group of the most friendly, kind, humble hard workers I’ve been around! Most of them are working in the dining areas, bars, and housekeeping. They appear happy, proud of their work and do so with great integrity. Our servers learned our names, remembered what we liked to drink, greeted us warmly every morning or evening, wished us a wonderful day or a good night’s rest. I took some time to research information on crew members, finding out on average they sign a 7 month contract which means they are away from their native homes and families. Depending on their level of employment the pay range could be $1,300 to $3,000 per month. Room and board is included, yet these men and women are away from husbands, wives, children, parents. I never heard any complaints. These wonderful people are constantly on the move.
• Complete strangers are less inhibited on cruise ships. Whenever we sat down in a lounge area, ate lunch in the cafe or fine dining, or walked the deck, people were quick to engage in conversation. Not so in the waiting areas of our airports. Everyone was back to their phones or laptops, maybe a book or magazine. 
• Sadly, on our last flight home at 3:30 in the morning, worn out from being awake since 6:30 am Canadian time, sitting in the last row of our small plane home to Detroit, I could overhear our three stewardesses chatting it up during the almost 50 minutes of flight. I wish I could say they were laughing and sharing about their families but unfortunately it was a gripe session encased with work schedules, pay, and some dislike towards pilots who they perceived “got more from the company although we do all the work”.

As I listened, I thought hmmmmm…quite the contrast from the week I just enjoyed, being “served” and entertained by individuals performing quite differently towards their duties. In full disclosure, I didn’t say anything to the women when we got off the plane. I thanked each one as I passed by, however, after being home for a couple of days I sent an email to the carrier’s headquarters to describe the experience. I know I could have ignored the situation but because I believe integrity is important in the workplace, I followed through. 

So, glancing back and reviewing our week away, I can see where perspective plays an important role to the unseen eye. Maybe having travelers take on more responsibility does speed up wait time in lines. Does it save the carriers money? I have no clue, knowing that fees are in place for things that were free years ago.

Perhaps leaving one’s country to pursue earning a good income comes with great sacrifice and humility, knowing the time away will be temporary but with lasting results to change the future in a family. Add in the ability to perform these duties day in and day out with thousands of people every year and you’ve built a successful crew. Since being home, I have noticed more keenly “help wanted” signs around the communities I go to for groceries, gas, etc. I wonder why “these” jobs can’t be filled when I’ve witnessed people from the Phillipines, Indonesia, Honduras, Madagascar…far away places I haven’t visited…choose to join a workforce that distances them from all they love and hope to return. Their sacrifices caused me not to bemoan missing our kids and grandkids for a week.

I don’t know the ins and outs of our flight attendant’s woes either. In contrasting their dissatisfaction to that of our joyful cruise crew, my conclusion is that our crew was able to give us a wonderful experience, knowing when we left the ship about 3,000 new people would arrive and they would “do everything all over again” as though for the first time. Based on my perspective, they did so with beautiful smiles, endless energy, and endless offers of “what can I do for you” and “are you enjoying your day?” That takes endurance. It takes hard work. It may take a little bit of acting when you’ve repeated the same corny joke over and over and over….it’s what causes a desire to book another cruise–if possible–and appreciating everyone who’s part of the journey, even those we scratch our heads about. Because relying on perspective doesn’t tell the whole story about a person or what’s going on in their day. Additionally, humility and grace lend greatly to not jumping to negative conclusions.

That’s why we need more comfy chairs in the places we shop or do business.  O that we could all slow down, look up, take in our surroundings whether in a crowded terminal or standing in line at a checkout. And not be too uptight, shy, or afraid to interrupt silence by merely asking “how’s your day doing?”