Lessons Learned: Flying without Earbuds

 "Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood. All is riddle, and the key to a riddle is another riddle."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

With air travel back in full swing, and many missed 2020 trips rescheduled, I found myself on a plane again, yet out of practice for my typical in-flight packing, meaning there I was with no magazines and without earbuds.

Clearly, that was not devastating, and yet there were unexpected lessons learned by hearing and seeing so much en route to Wisconsin golf, including:

1. "Please" and "thank you" are neither dated nor overrated, and they are best, used over and over sincerely
2. Smiles go a long way in tight quarters
3. Saying "excuse me" is far better than pointing
4. Speak to yourself out loud like your best friend would speak with when you're challenged by something or someone (such as not being able to get your bag in the overhead)
5. Having empathy means giving others grace for their possible nerves and discomfort with flying while remembering you are all wanting to get to the same place safely
6. When you don't have earbuds, you are allowed to sit, sleep, chat calmly and in a low tone, and you are not allowed to watch anything with sound, regardless of how low you turn the sound
7. Whenever you travel, packing your earbuds & magazines are your best bet for enjoyable travel ;)

Cheers to many good miles ahead!

A Lesson from Kindness Encounters!

While I am happy to be a part of many groups and organizations, it is interesting to see what people will promote or devote time to online.

One of the communities I am in focuses on KINDNESS. Oh, that is right up my alley, so it was exciting to get invited to be connected there!

With everything happening in the world, where it seems like some people are more concerned with hoarding than being considerate, it seemed this group would be a super reprieve for these "odd days".

I shared in that private group that my new hashtag is #KindnessNeedNotBeQuarantined and posted the hashtag there with a story about a trip to Costco and being nice to one another.

Someone took a shot at that by posting that I was taking jobs from workers by moving the carts out of the way in the parking lot. I thought, like I typically do, that she had the right to her view, and opted not to reply. It made me sad, though, as this person who was approved and/or invited in, was so quick to attack, and so fast to abandon kindness.

What I learned there was that some people believe kindness or being nice or considerate is ONLY the way they define it. Sadly, they are being judgmental, and in effect, not at kind in their ways.

So, please, let's be kind, even if that means not agreeing or not responding. After all, kindness and judgment are not adjacent, they are opposing mindsets...and kindness guides growth where judgment simply limits!

Shift From Change to Progress

"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."

~ George Bernard Shaw
Irish Dramatist.

 (1865 - 1950)

Often people are uncomfortable with change. And, typically, people appreciate the benefits of progress. While all change doesn't guarantee progress, nearly no progress would be possible without change.

So, when you are thinking about change, reposition your focus to the progress it may ultimately yield. And, if you are considering change that impacts others, please position your attitude, approach, language and vision on those results.

If we think or talk about "we must change", or "we need change" or "we have to change", we put people, including ourselves, in a place of no choice and/or lack of control. You, and they, will feel put upon and may do things out of compliance.

Instead, should we share about progress, and how the progress will benefit each person, and paint a picture where it is clear that each person who buys in will have a place in that picture, in that future, then people get committed to the actions it takes to get there.

Insist on change, and some will come along based in fear and ultimately minimal action and compliance, and yet project progress, and watch many get committed and join the progress in a way that shares in the action and the success that follows!

January 2018 Lundberg's Life Tip

Similarities with Differences

When you meet someone who reminds you of someone else, someone you don't like, push yourself to find something about that person that you like, admire and/or respect. 

When you meet someone who reminds you of someone else, someone you really like, push yourself to find something about that person that is different, something you like, admire and/or respect about him or her separate from the other person in your life.

By putting yourself in a position to see the person differently, you will treat the person for whom s/he is, and not disrespect or favor someone unfairly.

Avoiding Airplane & Airport Angst!

Since many of us fly commercially, and the glamour of travel is less than it used to be, let's keep some style, consideration and humane-ness to taking flight with the following tips: for avoiding airplane/airport angst:
~If you get on an airplane with a bag, be able to put it away, yourself versus thinking the rules of efficiency for boarding and deplaning don't apply to you.
~If you get on an airplane, be wearing clothes (as opposed to pajamas).
~If you get on an airplane with a cold, get on with tissues and hand sanitizer (and use them instead of sniffing and snorting).
~If you get on a plane with an infant, get on that plane with a pacifier or some sort to assist them/their ears with when the plane is ascending and descending.
~If you get on a plane with food, skip the onions-especially the raw, lingering ones.
~If you are waiting for your airplane, and you make a phone call, make it on earbuds or the old-fashioned holding-the-phone-to-your-ear way, instead of on Facetime or speakerphone.
~If you are going to get on an airplane, and you are on the phone, disconnect before engaging with the gate agent.
If you get on an airplane with a device with sounds, get on with earbuds or a headset (and use it).

In other words, if you get on an airplane with others, remember there are those other people on that plane...and their journey matters, too!

Age is a Privilege...Not a Problem!

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."

~ Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist.

(1835 - 1910)

It seems like rarely a day passes that someone doesn't say something like "Getting old isn't for sissies" or "Gravity isn't kind", or "I'm old, so I cannot read this without my glasses" in front of a podium or on a stage, and while people smile or even laugh, there is an implication that getting old, and aging, in general, is a problem...and while there may be painful emotional, and even physical changes, for us as we gain in years, please consider that we are in a tremendous state of being privileged to get to age.

For the times when you crack, creak, pop or pause, let that notice of what perhaps may sound like your physical limitations instead let those remind you of your physical capabilities. Take a few seconds or a moment to appreciate what you can do...at any age.

If there is a time you feel like you are the oldest, or that you don't belong or fit in due to those surrounding you being younger, keep in mind one person, any person or people, who were/are older than you who imparted knowledge on you, and then choose to share with others who are interested. Think of how fun it is to have the perspective you get to have as you add to your life's experience!

For the times when your body might feel like it does not perform the way it used to perform, from an endurance or strength measurement, allow yourself to focus on being the best you right now. Measure self against self in the moment, and think of the honor you have to feed and exercise your body in a way that serves it well.

For the times when your mind may play tricks on you, or your memory doesn't serve you well, allow yourself to be grateful for all the memories you do have, and all the memories you are yet to make. Decide to enhance the capabilities you have versus dwelling on what you are missing.

For the times others are sharing their issues and even corralling you to do the same, make a mental note of what you like, for which you are grateful, and for all you have, still have, and will have, rather that what once was, or what is gone, so you can, minimally, keep your approach positive...even if others choose not to!

Aging, while it can seem unfair, it is something so many of us hope to get to do with family and friends. We pine for a long, full life, and yet that cannot happen without aging. It is an honor, a privilege, to get to age...yes, hopefully gracefully, and it can absolutely be gratefully, as that latter part is within our control! When we see, speak and even lament over the "problems" of aging, it is difficult to appreciate the privilege of aging, and yet, nearly as simply, when we see, speak and share the privilege of aging, it is difficult to get caught up in the lamenting over the problems of it all!

Small Word Changes = Big Results!

"Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace."

~Buddha

Words matter. Words are a part of how we are perceived. Making some small changes in word selection may make big changes in your results, including the following:

These replacements will allow for clear communication and respectful language for you and those with whom you engage! More to follow next month...