Kindness in the Midst of Frustration

Yesterday’s travel day was one for the record books. A quick timeline looks like this:
Original Flight: 2:30pm
Delayed Until: 6:30pm
Rerouted to Tulsa: 8:00
Left again for Dallas: 12:15am
Arrived at DFW: 1:30am
Finally got Uber: 2:30am
Arrived at Renaissance: 2:45am
Left Renaissance for La Quinta: 4am
Finally in bed: 4:20am

So, obviously it was frustrating. Clearly we missed our connection, which was actually cancelled around 9pm. Having Scout there was both a blessing and a curse. While she kept us in perspective, we also wanted her to get good sleep far more than we wanted shuteye for ourselves. She was a trooper and never got upset on any of the flights.

And of course, Scout loved the view.

She was a tuckered little trooper on the way back to DFW from TUL.

By the time we landed and had to wait another 45 min for a car and then got to the hotel, we were beat. But out travel woes didn’t stop there. They were our if rooms, even though I had a reservation. Because of my status with Marriott, if a hotel can’t provide me a room, they must book me at a nearby hotel for free. After an hour of working with the gentleman at the front desk, who didn’t handle everything appropriately, I was off to a nearby hotel.

However, during that time i was at the front if the line, no less than 15 people came up and yelled at this man. He visibly was beaten down by a situation he didn’t create and couldn’t control. He didn’t make the weather that delayed all of DFW. He didn’t boost the price and lower the availability of ubers and taxis. And most importantly, he didn’t overbook the hotel (it was a system error). But people came up one after another to kick a man when he was down. I saw the frustration on his face as he had to deliver bad news to family after family. And did they get a non-existent room? Of course not. Did they contribute to making the night worse for a man who felt helpless and powerless? Absolutely.

We were all frustrated. I get it. But taking it out on someone like that was heartbreaking to watch.

The moral of the story: Treat people with kindness and dignity. If you not, YOU are the actual asshole.