Life lessons/Holiday cheer
Plugging into the Holiday Spirit with a Gen-Z-er
First impressions need not be lasting impressions
I am riding the bus from my daughter’s city back to my hometown. In the next seat is a girl in her late teens (or early twenties). She doesn’t spare a glance as I slide into my seat. She stares straight ahead, headphones clamped to her ears.
I scan the bus for information about a WiFi password but come up empty.
My bus-mate moves to re-adjust her headphones, and her head turns briefly toward me.
I take the opportunity to ask, “Excuse me, is there WiFi on this bus?”
She shoots out a single word, “No.” Then she puts her head back and closes her eyes.
I instantly feel silly for asking. I eye her as she slumbers — These Gen-Z-ers…
Generation Z — born 1995–2012. (Age 11 to 28)
I am reminded of a conversation with an acquaintance just the day before. She had decried her Gen Z coworkers as “self-absorbed” and “entitled.”
Her verdict seems harsh. But she is in frequent contact with that demographic and I am not. So maybe she knows better?
Plugging in
Without WiFi I will have to use my cellular network to browse the Internet. But then I risk draining my phone battery. My options are to look out the window at scenery I have viewed a zillion times before. Or to nap, which I find hard to do on a bus.
Five minutes into the ride, the driver announces we can use the plug point under our seats to charge our phones. I perk up. I can browse away now without the phone dying on me.
I pull out the charger from my handbag. I run my fingers under the aisle side of my seat. No plug point there. I don’t want to fumble near the window side where the girl sits.
I look around. But the bus is full. The passengers are sitting close together, and I can’t see where they have connected their phones.
I turn back — resigned to staring out the window. I make eye contact with Headphones Girl who is looking at me. She holds out her hand. “I can do that.”
I give her the charger, and she bends down and effortlessly locates the plug between our seats.
“Thank you,” I say.
She nods, settles her headphones on her ears, pulls on her hoodie, and is once more lost to the world.
We reach our destination. I unplug my charger. “Thank you,” I say once more.
She shrugs, then her features open up in a smile — the warmth of which catches me off guard.
I smile back sheepishly. Gen Z-ers aren’t so bad after all.
Taking my own advice
Never judge a book by its cover, they say. But I find myself doing that over and over again. Sometimes, the fault lies in my own biases. At other times, I graft someone else’s prejudices onto my opinions.
Humans are visual creatures. We are attracted to people who smile and seem charming. Conversely, we are put off by people who appear taciturn and unfriendly.
But this is an age of more digital than personal engagement. So maybe I am expecting too much of my bus-mate — a young person who has come of age in these times. And, perhaps, her attention was consumed with thoughts of friends, a love interest, family, academics, or a million other matters.
It is hard to control someone else’s behavior — especially that of a stranger. It is much easier to control one’s own reactions to that behavior. In such situations, it is best to take the following line of thought:
This person may not intend to offend. They are likely dealing with problems that have nothing to do with me. It is best to back off and take no umbrage.
And yes, I do intend to take the advice I just dished out.
The spirit of the holidays
As we wait to disembark, I turn again to the girl. “Happy Holidays,” I say.
Gen Z or not, my bus-mate exemplified the holiday spirit of giving a stranger a smile and a helping hand.
To all my readers: Happy Holidays. 🎉🎈 And to my readers who celebrate Christmas, I wish you a Very Merry Christmas! 🎵🎄
Do check out this sweet story about the importance of kindness by Nine:
Thank you, Liberty Forrest, Author, for your lovely publication!
