Well, we missed our flight. I could give you 1000 excuses but the truth is it was on us. If we had only arrived about five minutes prior I think they would have let us on. Instead we are stuck here for another four hours.
The ticketing agent was not particularly friendly and as tears welled up while I tried to explain where we had a misunderstanding, I could see her eyes glaze just the slightest bit and it rubbed me the wrong way.
But we’ve been sitting near the check-in for about an hour or so now, and I’ve had an opportunity to listen to her speak with dozens of passengers who have come after me. So many stories, excuses, mistakes. So many emotions: anger, sadness, anxiety, fear. Every single person has a unique story; a reason they are here right now — late, early, and right on time.
And I understand that the coldness I felt from the ticketing agent wasn’t actually coldness at all. It was emotional distance.
Because if this woman had to carry all the feelings and reactions she faced from every passenger, she would lose her damn mind. Or be angry. Both, probably.
It’s easy to experience something in a silo, but our experience with another human is just that…
Our experience. 1% of what is actually going on in their world, and not enough to judge another.
I’m grateful I’ve had this opportunity to watch this woman at work because my new perspective sees her as incredibly resilient and patient. She has an extremely hard job and she does it with grace and efficiency.
I only wish I could have learned this lesson without having missed our flight.
Thank you ticketing agent, and all customer service employees. You are the unsung heroes of a very busy, thankless world.
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