Delayed Flight

The delay was about an hour which means: an hour of trying to figure out how to kill time. 

It was a small jet. It didn’t have any of those TVs for entertainment. Oh and we were already boarded so it’s not like I can walk around the plane’s tiny aisle. Since space was very limited, most of us were forced to leave our carry-on luggage by the door.  I was ok with that – until I realized I left my wallet in it.

That made me worry, thinking someone would steal it. Then I started to get all paranoid:

• what would I do if I lose my wallet?
• how the hell am I going to pay for my food and room reservations?
• what about the credit cards?
• my driver’s license? I’m f*cked!!

It stopped there. I was able to hold the growth of the anxiety simply by asking myself, “Why would I even think that in the first place?”

Most of the time, we get all paranoid over things that aren’t likely to happen.

We tend to think of the worst-case scenarios and figure out ways how to deal with them (waaaay ahead of time). What’s worse is that we do this without understanding where they’re even coming from: was it from of the story you heard from someone? The last movie you saw? A story you read in the newspaper? Or news on the radio? What makes this situation similar to that situation? What is the probability of that even happening? 1 out 1000 events?

Thinking ahead of time to prepare yourself for what’s to come isn’t a bad thing. “Proper Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance”, right?

However, what makes it “bad” is when we let it consume us.

Imagine feeling all worried for the whole duration of the flight, anxious to get off the plane to check my luggage to make sure my wallet is still there. The same feeling creeps in when you couldn’t quite remember if you turned off the stove before leaving the house. Or that long wait for the results to come in from that exam you’ve taken.

It takes a huge amount of “mental load” that affects our performance/focus throughout the day. That feeling of helplessness – it sucks. We let events/things beyond our control consume our focus.

How do I deal with it? By saying “fuck it!” or “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it”.

Worrying is a form of “analysis paralysis” – you’re wasting time and energy over something that may not even happen.

The flight felt long. It was uncomfortable (but manageable) similar to that…

Dinner

Among the guests was a manager – an authority figure.

Dinner with people of “high authority” makes me feel uncomfortable. Why? Half of the things I do or things they talk about are topics I have no knowledge of. I’m also careful not to say something stupid or unprofessional. My move? Sit and listen.

That’s right: If you’ve got nothing beneficial to stay, then zip it and listen with full attention.

Unlike the common stereotype of “people of high authority” – the mean, too formal, strict, “they only mean business” – this manager was probably one of the nicest managers I’ve ever met. She’s down to earth – makes you feel very comfortable regardless of who you are. I suppose it’s a skill set they unconsciously develop with their position.

She got everyone to talk about themselves by doing a “roundtable” – to share with everyone what they liked doing.

“Roundtables” still give me a little anxiety because I don’t know how the hell am I going to introduce myself.

My go-to answer for this one is “video games” – it’s my way of shutting down the spotlight from me and turn the spotlight on to someone else.

However this time, I decided to go with: I like drawing—with MS Paint. Digital art.

Then they demanded I show proof but that fell flat because I left my phone in my room. Why? I did not purchase a data plan for my phone. In my head, I was like, “Dang! That was a missed opportunity to promote my artwork”. They probably thought I was bullsh*tting too. Oh well. Then—silence–so we moved to the next person on the table. Phew! *wipe awkward sweat on my forehead*. Dishonesty is the last impression I wanted to leave (I showed them my artwork the next day).

Long story short – it was a good dinner. The service was good as well. We were offered complimentary drinks and appetizers. One I liked (in particular) was the mix of apple juice, celery, and ginger.

While the dinner was good, it was the complete opposite of the service we had from the last restaurant from our trip. He was…

Bitchy

He didn’t like how we wanted our bill on separate tabs. And his service wasn’t really that great as if he is forced to do his job.

I didn’t like that at all. If you hate your job so much then why don’t you just quit – you’re making your customers uncomfortable.

So in return, I took the opportunity to be an ass like him. How did I do it? A tip of $1.00.

When he saw what I gave him, he was like “a dollar? You gotta be fuckin kidding me!”. In my head, I was like, “Yea fuck you”

For a moment, I felt like I made him realize he deserved to be treated that way.

But after a while, I felt bad – really really really really bad. Why?

I stooped down at his level. He and I were the same – assholes. I’m no different than him. I was an embarrassment (not to others but) to myself…

Sometimes we feel like we have the right to discipline other people. Well, we do to a certain extent. However, most of the time, the people we try to discipline are also adults who are fully aware of what’s wrong or right.

Some may do things unconsciously and some do it on purpose. People who:

• slow down traffic by parking pretty much anywhere because they have their hazards on. [You don’t own the road motherF – we pay taxes too!]
• stop at a busy street crossing where it’s obviously inconvenient for everyone else if you do a U-turn. [I get it, you don’t give a fuck but someday you’ll pay the price]
• come at closing hours and demands to be served right away. [I’m sure the restaurant doesn’t have a problem kicking you out. It doesn’t need you to stay in business.]
• carries a full cart of groceries and decides to line-up in the express lane. [I feel sad for you for thinking you saved time by “outsmarting the system”]
• don’t flush. [C’mon man – it’s not like you have to fetch a pale of water. It takes one push – ONE f*kin PUSH]

Regardless of how inconsiderate people are – it doesn’t give me or anybody the right share the amount of frustration we feel towards them.

Perhaps we can do things the “mature way” – to get them to see and understand that what they’re doing is causing everyone inconvenience. Do that by telling them NICELY.

But I also understand how hard that is because, why would people listen to you in the first place? But hey, trying is better than nothing 😉

A few more interesting things I did this week:

• Drove a bus simulator (VR) – It was really like driving an actual bus. The trainer to turned it on for me – there’s a sequence of buttons you have to press before you can turn it on. I only lasted for 3-minutes – did not pick up the passengers along the way and then finally – hit the curb. Game over. I felt dizzy after.
• The days of the fully-automated vehicles are coming…
• Climbed up the tower in Cheaha State Park – the highest point in Alabama.