Finding the Bright Side
Make a game of finding the good
Yesterday, I was trapped in a travel nightmare, where I left the hotel at 9am, and didn’t get home until 12:30am. For 8 of those hours, I was on what should have been a 3-hour non-stop flight.
And yet, while I wanted to get home, I was delighted to find many bright spots in the ordeal.
Bright spot 1 — No disasters
It started when they closed Denver International Airport, and rerouted us to Phoenix. Having seen the mess that resulted when high winds flipped planes at the gates, closing one wing of the airport for weeks, I was glad they were being cautious! And that our plane was able to land somewhere to get gas, rather than running out of fuel and needing an emergency landing.
Bright spot 2 — Wonderful crew
The Southwest Airlines flight crew was wonderful, giving extra drink service and handing out snack packs to tide us over while we waited. The pilot even came out and helped clear trash!
Bright spot 3 — Roomy travel
Southwest Airlines found alternate travel arrangements for many of the people on the plane, taking them directly from Phoenix to their destination on the west coast. As a result, our full flight was suddenly roomy, with lots of open center seats to give us space to spread out.
Bright spot 4 — Benefit of automation
When we got our new flight time, we had 45 minutes to get out into the airport, and grab food, drinks, and whatever else we needed. The automatic boarding pass scanners made that a breeze. The last time I was in a similar situation was before those were implemented, and crew had to manually check your name off on the roster of passengers. Trying to unload and load a 737–800 under those conditions would have used most of the 45 minutes!
Playing the “Glad game”
This habit of finding the bright spots in things started as a kid when I read Pollyanna. Unlike the pejorative use of the name nowadays, to mean someone who unrealistically expects things will turn out for the best, the main character had a pretty miserable life. Her father taught her the “Glad game” to help her appreciate the moments of goodness rather than the overall awfulness.
The general idea is that there is nothing so awful that there isn’t something you can be glad about. Even if it’s that you’re glad the awfulness will eventually pass.
Which life is yours more like?
Having spent over 40 years playing this game in my own life, I can say for certain that it makes your life much better. When I finally met my husband at the airport, he had a litany of things that had been difficult for him. Traffic, weather (yes, I know it was raining and hailing — that’s why my plane was sent to Phoenix), people stopping inexplicably on the highway, and circling the parking lot for 15 minutes to find an open space. He did not play the Glad game. He saw the awfulness, and not the bright spots.
I know which of us had a better day.
How to have a wonderful life
Try it in your own life. Next time you find yourself complaining about something, stop and take a moment. That’s what is awful. What can you be glad about? Where is the good thing?
Then remember that. I remember I spent the day in the roomy luxury of an exit row with an open center seat, and that our pilot was so considerate of the passengers’ well-being that he came out to pick up trash so we’d have a more pleasant environment.
After a good night’s sleep, I’ve forgotten the rest of the ordeal. But I remember the good things. That’s how to have a wonderful life.
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