Thank you, Tom! I dig this story. It shows how great a difference we can make in each other's lives, often without even knowing it. Guessing Jesus just thought he was doing his job, while for you, getting on the plane meant a great deal.
I much appreciate you sharing your story and your wit. :)
Oh that's right. You probably know this airport well. If you ever need assistance while passing through, may it be Jesus you find on the other side of the desk.
Rona, in Antananarivo (Madagascar) the baggage carousel wasn't working at all--employees hand-delivered bags by holding each piece of luggage up as though we were at an auction (we never check bags but the domestic flights required it). We've spent a lot of hours at Pearson too, Holly. Some balm is found at Terminal 3 at Caplansky's Delicatessen. The Reuben with mile-high smoked meat, drippy Russian dressing and slaw is a great distraction from the grrrrr and grind of flight delays. Tom Fish, I'm coming to ride on your handlebars!
Your story is a powerful reminder of the impact that small acts of kindness can have. It inspires me to be more mindful of the opportunities I have to help others, even in seemingly insignificant ways. Thank you for sharing your experience, Tom. It's a story that will stay with me for a long time.
The passage below is where I thought ‘Tom is my kind of guy’ and then laughed out loud. —
“And why does an airport even have a rush hour? Can’t they stagger the landings throughout the day so there isn’t a rush hour? But I couldn’t do this because he’d sauntered off down the plane to, I presume, spit in someone’s dinner or sneeze on their baby.”
A very humorous and relatable story. Thanks Tom and Holly! :)
Seems our world, perhaps especially the world of travelers. is made up of helpful and unhelpful people. some because of personality, , some because of what happened last night and some because they are steady in the face of what appears to us as a crisis. Unhelpful and helpful. I would like to carry around a roll of stickers with those two words and paste them on the appropriate people as a warning to the next one in line. What I have learned after years and hundreds of thousands of miles is to go with it, lean into it and it will all work out, maybe not on our precious timetable, maybe not according to the best laid plans, maybe not as we intended. But who da hell we think we are? We're not in charge, thank god, or we might screw it up even worse. I am not the dispatcher, I am not a pilot, at least not of airplanes, I am not a customer service agent, and I am really only responsible for me, not their problems, regardless what they might be. I appreciate those who help solve the issue and are able to show they care. The rest should probably get a different job.
Bwahaha. Now I'm imagining other stickers that might be useful.
I made a call to Apple recently. Before connecting me to tech support, the AI robot posited this reminder. "Remember that customer service is there to help. Please be kind to them." It kind of broke my heart--the fact that this reminder must be dearly needed. Would that we'd all remember we're just sharing paths, that we've no idea what others are carrying, and that we might all be worthy of the helpful sticker.
Yes, would that we would all be worthy to wear the helpful label and when you are kind, understanding and listen, no sticker is necessary. We could probably cash in on personality stickers for so many behaviors, conditions and situations. Reminds me, sitting in PHX Sky Harbor lounge, waiting for plane and a dishevleed, sloppily dressed, stringy hair guy walked by with a tee shirt that said, “Yes I really am a rocket scientist.”
🤣. As for the stickers, my design is yellow with black words, applied on the back so when they turn around at their desk or counter, it’s highly visible, and when possible, applied unknown to the wearer. That’s the tricky part.
That pesky Toronto airport! As a Canadian I know to try to avoid it but sometimes it's not possible. I love that you got a customer service rep who was Jesus and that you made it to Winnipeg Tom, thanks for sharing your story!
Holly -- this is a rich series, and Tom's piece adds a relatability I guess I hadn't expected to find. Not that Tom isn't capable. Only that I had imagined "on the road" to mean in some sort of semi- or permanent manner. Not so, evidently!
Tom, two years ago my husband and I flew from the east coast to Australia, via LAX. The trip there went off without a hitch. The return journey made up for it in spades. Our Jesus presented himself in the eleventh hour, as we sprinted to catch our connecting flight in L.A., having spent 2/3 of our allotted time at the mercy of the those who could not be bothered with giving us suitable instructions for finding our next gate. By the time we located it, last call was ancient history, the waiting room was empty, and the doors to the aircraft were closed. I have no idea why Jesus was even still hanging around, except that maybe he'd not met his miracle quota for the day. Because of him, we made that flight, carry on bags and all.
Honestly, I think "on the road" applies to all of us, whether we live in a brick-and-mortar or a home-on-wheels, whether that road take us from one country to the next or from our back door through our garden. We're all traveling on this sphere of a traveling planet all the time. This collection welcomes stories from all of us "travelers" on any of the "roads" we find ourselves. (And I'd certainly welcome one from you if you were ever interested. ;)-).
And I love that you, too, had an airport deity to make your trip smoothly. Many cheers for the helpful.
Me too. I love hosting other writers not just for their stories but also because it allows me to showcase writing styles I love but don't do myself. Tom's is a delight.
Thank you, thank you for reading and commenting.♥️
Thanks so much for having me Holly! This was a blast.
Thank you, Tom! I dig this story. It shows how great a difference we can make in each other's lives, often without even knowing it. Guessing Jesus just thought he was doing his job, while for you, getting on the plane meant a great deal.
I much appreciate you sharing your story and your wit. :)
Thank you for the glow, Holly and Tom. Toronto Pearson is my home airport and a pit of frustration, which gave personal resonance to the story.
Thanks Rona - you have my sympathies!
Oh that's right. You probably know this airport well. If you ever need assistance while passing through, may it be Jesus you find on the other side of the desk.
Thank you, Rona, for reading. ♥️
No luck so far. Battle axes reign. And the baggage claim is the slowest we’ve found.
Grrrr. (To the battle axes and the slowness!)
Rona, in Antananarivo (Madagascar) the baggage carousel wasn't working at all--employees hand-delivered bags by holding each piece of luggage up as though we were at an auction (we never check bags but the domestic flights required it). We've spent a lot of hours at Pearson too, Holly. Some balm is found at Terminal 3 at Caplansky's Delicatessen. The Reuben with mile-high smoked meat, drippy Russian dressing and slaw is a great distraction from the grrrrr and grind of flight delays. Tom Fish, I'm coming to ride on your handlebars!
Your story is a powerful reminder of the impact that small acts of kindness can have. It inspires me to be more mindful of the opportunities I have to help others, even in seemingly insignificant ways. Thank you for sharing your experience, Tom. It's a story that will stay with me for a long time.
Thanks Alexander! Really appreciate your comment.
The passage below is where I thought ‘Tom is my kind of guy’ and then laughed out loud. —
“And why does an airport even have a rush hour? Can’t they stagger the landings throughout the day so there isn’t a rush hour? But I couldn’t do this because he’d sauntered off down the plane to, I presume, spit in someone’s dinner or sneeze on their baby.”
A very humorous and relatable story. Thanks Tom and Holly! :)
Thanks so much Michael!
Same passage for me!
Thanks, Michael. :)
Seems our world, perhaps especially the world of travelers. is made up of helpful and unhelpful people. some because of personality, , some because of what happened last night and some because they are steady in the face of what appears to us as a crisis. Unhelpful and helpful. I would like to carry around a roll of stickers with those two words and paste them on the appropriate people as a warning to the next one in line. What I have learned after years and hundreds of thousands of miles is to go with it, lean into it and it will all work out, maybe not on our precious timetable, maybe not according to the best laid plans, maybe not as we intended. But who da hell we think we are? We're not in charge, thank god, or we might screw it up even worse. I am not the dispatcher, I am not a pilot, at least not of airplanes, I am not a customer service agent, and I am really only responsible for me, not their problems, regardless what they might be. I appreciate those who help solve the issue and are able to show they care. The rest should probably get a different job.
Bwahaha. Now I'm imagining other stickers that might be useful.
I made a call to Apple recently. Before connecting me to tech support, the AI robot posited this reminder. "Remember that customer service is there to help. Please be kind to them." It kind of broke my heart--the fact that this reminder must be dearly needed. Would that we'd all remember we're just sharing paths, that we've no idea what others are carrying, and that we might all be worthy of the helpful sticker.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Gary!
Yes, would that we would all be worthy to wear the helpful label and when you are kind, understanding and listen, no sticker is necessary. We could probably cash in on personality stickers for so many behaviors, conditions and situations. Reminds me, sitting in PHX Sky Harbor lounge, waiting for plane and a dishevleed, sloppily dressed, stringy hair guy walked by with a tee shirt that said, “Yes I really am a rocket scientist.”
Love this!
This: "We're not in charge, thank god, or we might screw it up even worse." I'm still thinking about those stickers... ;)
Me, too!
🤣. As for the stickers, my design is yellow with black words, applied on the back so when they turn around at their desk or counter, it’s highly visible, and when possible, applied unknown to the wearer. That’s the tricky part.
"I know this is bad timing, under the circumstances, but I think I just saw a spider drop onto your back..."
⚠️ UNHELPFUL ⚠️
Bwahaha. You two are both awesome. This exchange is a delight.
Tactic that might work in a high percentage of cases given people’s’ reactions to spiders. Clever thinking!
A delightful read. Thank you, Tom and Holly.
Thanks so much Cheryl!
Thank YOU, Cheryl. ♥️
That pesky Toronto airport! As a Canadian I know to try to avoid it but sometimes it's not possible. I love that you got a customer service rep who was Jesus and that you made it to Winnipeg Tom, thanks for sharing your story!
I didn't know it had such a reputation! Thanks so much for reading, Donna!
Holly -- this is a rich series, and Tom's piece adds a relatability I guess I hadn't expected to find. Not that Tom isn't capable. Only that I had imagined "on the road" to mean in some sort of semi- or permanent manner. Not so, evidently!
Tom, two years ago my husband and I flew from the east coast to Australia, via LAX. The trip there went off without a hitch. The return journey made up for it in spades. Our Jesus presented himself in the eleventh hour, as we sprinted to catch our connecting flight in L.A., having spent 2/3 of our allotted time at the mercy of the those who could not be bothered with giving us suitable instructions for finding our next gate. By the time we located it, last call was ancient history, the waiting room was empty, and the doors to the aircraft were closed. I have no idea why Jesus was even still hanging around, except that maybe he'd not met his miracle quota for the day. Because of him, we made that flight, carry on bags and all.
Brilliant story, wonderfully told. Wonderful story, brilliantly told!
Honestly, I think "on the road" applies to all of us, whether we live in a brick-and-mortar or a home-on-wheels, whether that road take us from one country to the next or from our back door through our garden. We're all traveling on this sphere of a traveling planet all the time. This collection welcomes stories from all of us "travelers" on any of the "roads" we find ourselves. (And I'd certainly welcome one from you if you were ever interested. ;)-).
And I love that you, too, had an airport deity to make your trip smoothly. Many cheers for the helpful.
Tom's was brilliant and wonderful, indeed. :)
Holly, thank you for introducing me to Tom's work. I appreciate the predicament and especially the humor.
Me too. I love hosting other writers not just for their stories but also because it allows me to showcase writing styles I love but don't do myself. Tom's is a delight.
Thank you, thank you for reading and commenting.♥️