Turn That Frown Upside Down

This Please Q, Thank Q video clip, part of a campaign in Singapore to get people to be more gracious about riding the subway, made me wonder: What if we all carried a Feelings Stick that we could use to get people to be more civil toward one another? It'd be sort of a non-verbal "check yourself" to someone who's not using good manners. Could that actually work like it does in this 30-second Love Your Ride PSA?

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Spirit In The Sky

An airline that takes "the friendly skies" seriously is a real blessing.

While I don't want this blog to become an advertisement for a particular company or product, I don't mind telling you that I am NUTS about Southwest Airlines.  In addition to their low fares and the fact that they serve honey-roasted peanuts, here's why:  Last October, I found myself fogged in in San Francisco, facing a three-hour delay as I tried to get home from the National Forum. During a long delay like that, customers aren't necessarily friendly or patient. But I was trying to be both as I questioned the Southwest gate agent about our connection in Los Angeles. I'd arrived at the airport plenty early, so I was eager to look at all of my options so as to not get stuck in CA for an unscheduled overnight layover. I was told by the lady at the counter not to worry because they would likely hold the plane in LA for us so that we didn't miss our connection.    So if you're like me, you're laughing now, right? You're thinking that there's NO way that they're going to hold a plane in LA for over an hour so that a few fog-laden passengers can make their connection. Exactly. I heard what she said, but I didn't really believe her. I went back to the counter two or three more times just to see if I'd get the same story. Sure enough, each time she was pretty sure that they'd be holding that plane. "Well, if they hold that plane for us, I'm going to be super surprised" was what I said over and over to myself, but who knows? I've never heard of anything so customer-friendly, but maybe?    When we finally left San Francisco, it was a little after the time that our connecting flight was scheduled to depart LA, so I was certain that we were stuck. I was figuring out a plan in my head as I flew south. Surely I know someone in LA who can help me out when (noticed I wasn't even saying IF) I get stranded there overnight. But, I was wrong. After we got our welcome to LA and as we were taxiing to the gate, an announcement confirmed that Southwest had, in fact, held the connecting flight to Houston and they respectfully asked the other passengers to please let those of us with a Houston connection make our exit first. Unbelievable!    Evidently examples like this abound with this company. Last December, I saw online that a pilot held a plane again, this time not just for a mom like me who was eager to get back to her family after a long weekend away. This time it was for a man whose grandson had been killed, a dad who needed desperately to make it to Denver to comfort his daughter at the loss of her little boy. This pilot put his on-time departure stats aside and waited twelve minutes for this single customer to arrive at the gate and board his plane to make his connection to Colorado. And his employer - you guessed it, Southwest Airlines - supported him and said they were "proud" of the compassion he showed to this grieving grandfather.  Just this June, another delay when I flew home, but this time it was because the pilot insisted on deplaning to pay his respects to the family of the fallen soldier whom he'd just brought home to his final resting place.  Spirit In The Sky, obviously so much more than just a clever campaign catchphrase to this awesome airline.

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A Grand Slam

Sing it with me:  Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd.

  If you’re an avid baseball fan in the greater Houston area, it’s likely that you’re disappointed with the Astros right now.  Maybe you’ve felt that way for some time.  They hardly ever win and there just isn’t much energy, enthusiasm or drive.  Let’s be honest – you might even be frustrated with them.  There doesn’t seem to be much to celebrate about the team or the job they’re doing on the field.

  Off the field, however, the Astros organization recently earned some major-league points with us.  Here’s the scoop:  A softball pitcher who’d played the sport for ten years, our daughter seemed like a really solid applicant for their Grand Slam For Youth Baseball scholarship.  She dowloaded and filled out the form, wrote her essay, secured her letters of recommendation, requested and picked up an official transcript, postmarked it by its due date, then waited and waited, fingers crossed that she’d get an interview.  But alas, the early June dates came and went and we pretty much figured that she hadn’t been selected as a finalist.

  We’ve gotten used to assuming that she hasn't been selected because we've found that typically the scholarship committees don't send letters of acknowledgement or rejection anymore.  No "thanks for your interest" or "we wish we had enough funds for everyone who applied" sentiments.  Not a word, which is so different from when we were going through this process.  And that can make it really frustrating, waiting and not knowing. 

  That’s what has set the Astros organization apart.  Not only did they honor our daughter with a letter to thank her for her application and to let her know that they weren't able to grant her a scholarship at this time, they also sent her a coupon for a gallon of Minute Maid orange juice along with four tickets to attend the July 18^th baseball game at Minute Maid Park.  Talk about your grand slam.  She gets to take her friends (or family?!) to watch the Astros play the Nationals; what a treat!  She also gets to celebrate with this year's scholarship recipients.  It felt as though she’d scored even though she’d struck out on that scholarship.

  With the velocity and strength of a perfectly hit fast ball, a little courtesy can go a very long way.  Thanks, Astros; see you at the ball park.

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