As a result of frequent business travel during the major part of my career, I have been witness to an array of cringe-inducing behaviors at airports and rental car locations. In some cases, it’s seeing the results of behaviors that most likely happened away from the prying eyes of travelers.
I remembered one such experience that I had several years ago while picking up my checked luggage at a destination airport. When my hard-shell luggage showed up on the conveyor belt, I couldn’t believe what my eyes were beholding. It had a huge dent on one corner and looked as if it has been through a tornado, hurricane and an earthquake all rolled into one.
It was almost brand new when I handed it over to the gate agent while checking in a few hours earlier. Why was it now looking like I’ve been using it for a hundred years! I was so sad at the sight that I almost didn’t want to pick it up from the carousel. But I had to! I didn’t have a choice since everything I needed for that 3-day trip was inside.
I took pictures of the dent and filed a claim with American Airlines. At the end, they couldn’t (or didn’t want to) do anything. I still have that piece of luggage today (I rarely use it anymore), so I remember this experience anytime I see it with that ugly dent.
Because of this experience and a few others, I’ve often wondered why it is difficult for baggage handlers to treat passenger bags with careful and mindful attention each time. If they do, nobody’s luggage would end up dented or destroyed, would it? At least, that’s what I thought.
Then one day, a thought occurred to me. It was a true eye-opener.
As a passenger, my piece of checked baggage is unique and special to me. Afterall, I took great care in packing it for my travel. But to the baggage handlers, my luggage is just one in a sea of several hundreds or thousands that they will process and handle any given day. So, to them, mine doesn’t stand out. There’s nothing special about it.
You could ask the guy who mindlessly threw or shoved my bag from one conveyor belt to another how it got its big, ugly dent, and he won’t be able to tell you what happened to it. The damage most likely happened in the process of engaging in the repetitive motions that moved thousands of bags along to their various intended destinations.
As I found myself silently accusing and resenting these faceless handlers of maltreating my luggage, I began to wonder if I pay the same mindful attention that I’m expecting of others to my own tasks - especially the ones that require mindless, repetitive motions.
The unfortunate truth is that I do not; at least not all the time. My guess is that the same applies to you.
But can you imagine how much heartaches we can avoid if we take just a moment to be mindful of our actions, no matter how repetitive or habitual they are? Those actions may not be serving us (or others) well, yet we continue with them because we do them without thinking.
So, this is my simple question for you this week: What habitual, repetitive action or behavior would you rethink?