I was waiting for my flight at LaGuardia this week. An unfortunate combination of maintenace issues, missing crew, and a little fog, had left me semi-stranded in Terminal E wishing I were home with my family. Holiday music was playing as travelers hustled to and from flights and the feeling of nostalgia consumed me. Truth be told, I was feeling sorry for myself.
When the stranger sat down next to me, my natural inclination (as much as I hate to admit it) was to pop in my AirPods and drown my malaise in an audiobook. However, my new friend beat me to my novel with the obligatory set of questions air travelers are accustomed to avoiding.
My new friend (he quickly pointed out that indeed we were) was curious and a great questioner – a rare breed these days. When I mentioned my work with families and the joy I find in trying to help them build stronger bonds (and better businesses), he glazed over a bit. However, as I was about to find out, he was not lost conceptually in my work, he was lost in thought about his own family.
When it was my turn in the natural progression of travel etiquette, my new friend told me about his family, how his kids were grown, his grandkids were growing…and how he hadn’t seen any of them in years. Words said, and more unsaid, had created a family divide that to him, felt too wide to bridge. Given my profession, I wanted to jump to solutioning, to solve this problem for him, but something held me back and instead, I just listened. He didn’t want a solution; he needed an ear.
When it was time to board my flight, we parted ways with pleasantries, and I thanked him for being so open, transparent, and real. Then he told me that whenever I have a chance, I should tell others about him, so they don’t end up like him. He said he hoped his experience could be a gift, a gift that someone might not just want, but need this holiday season.
Here's to gift-giving this holiday season.
"You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them."
<br/><span class="body-2 opacity-80" style="padding-top:0.75rem">~ Desmond Tutu</span>
"A happy family is but an earlier heaven."
<br/><span class="body-2 opacity-80">~ George Bernard Shaw</span>
"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new."
<br/><span class="body-2 opacity-80">~ Socrates</span>
