I know. The title probably caught your eye.
Smoking near a fuel truck? Really? What happened next? Do tell.
So right now I’m sitting in the office center of the United Red Carpet Club, waiting for my flight back home to Phoenix. I was just here yesterday. It was one of those quick 24 hour trips. I spoke at an FBLA event this morning, hopped back on a super tiny airplane, and here I am.
Okay, so I know I’m stalling…
Yesterday, I was stuck here for a few hours–not in this comfortable club, but rather in a small area in the A terminals waiting for my quick little flight to Alamosa, Colorado. It was cold in that area as the doors open directly to the tarmac and snow was definitely falling outside. I tried to fill the time by reading, playing on facebook, making a few calls, and even sketching out some ideas for an upcoming workshop I’m doing for advisors at a convention. It was fine for a bit, but then my flight became more and more delayed. I knew I’d get to my destination, so I wasn’t angry–just a bit bored.
Excitement finally arrived when a gate agent had to yell a bit at a customer.
“Excuse me! Ma’am! Ma’am! You are NOT allowed to smoke here. Put out your cigarette! NOW!”
Things got really interesting when the smoking woman protested back.
Before I continue, in the interest of full disclosure, I hate cigarette smoking. I think it is a disgusting habit. If I’m around cigarette smoke too long, I actually become physically sick. At the same time I do have friends that smoke–many who wish they could quit–and so I also understand the addictive aspects of smoking. I do know that people have cravings, and I get that.
What I didn’t get was this smoking woman. There were clearly signs that said no smoking. Yes, her flight was delayed, and yes, she probably really craved a cigarette, but she tried to go outside to smoke NEAR A FUEL TRUCK! Not only had she left the boarding area without permission she was smoking NEAR A FUEL TRUCK!
I know many smokers to be incredibly courteous. Most of my smoking friends apologize profusely if they light up around me or make sure they step far away from me. While I don’t like their habit, I appreciate their attempts to not force anything on me.
This woman, on the other hand, got mad. She yelled at the agent and talked about her right to smoke. She mocked the agent. She told the agent it was her fault and that she wouldn’t have to smoke if the agent knew how to run an airline (never mind the fact that it was snowing outside causing weather delays). The agent kindly informed the smoking woman that she could calm down or she could take up the issue with the TSA in a special room that would await her.
The woman sat down, but made sure to insult the agent a few more times before finally boarding her plane. After the smoking woman was gone, the other passengers in the terminal thanked the agent. A few smokers even stepped forward to say, “I’m a smoker, but that woman was just being dumb. Thank you for doing your job.”
I sometimes worry that we are beginning to shift to a Smoking Near A Fuel Truck society…
That for some their own needs outweigh the needs of others
That we focus on ourselves and miss the big picture–like FUEL TRUCKS staring us right in the face.
I see young leaders at times who live as if the rules don’t apply to them. It worries me.
For a moment, I was slightly saddened by this poor example of what might happen in the world…
…but then there was a glimmer of hope.
A little two-year-old girl came up to me. She was dressed head to toe in pink snow gear with little pigtails in her hair–the dimples on her cheeks serving as exclamation points to her obvious cuteness.
“Hello.” She says to me with a head tilt (as I was definitely playing on the facebook app on my iPhone and she had to make sure she had eye contact with me).
“Hello.” I replied.
“Here you go,” she says as she proceeds to place nothing into my hands. At first I’m just playing along, but soon I see that she does it with such care, I seriously wonder if she found that same speck of dust from HORTON HEARS A WHO and handed it off to me. She smiles and says “buh bye” and heads over to an elderly man sitting three seats down. She continues to walk around the gate doing this to everyone. After she had given the WHO’s to 10-15 people she did a giggle run around the seats.
I looked around. Everyone was smiling too.
It was as if this little girl reminded people that there is still magic in the world. She ran around giving gifts of nothing that meant something.
As I boarded my small plane to Alamosa, I realized I wanted to be more like the girl with dimples than the woman who smokes near a fuel truck. I want to find ways to contribute magic to the world. Do I always do this? Absolutely not. There are days where I, too, am far too focused on myself.
But we all can strive to be better…