Do you ever happen upon genuinely good people that just make your heart smile? I know this post is already sounding gushy and cheesy beyond words but sometimes it's good to have a there are good people out there reminder every once and awhile.
I have had two good people reminders in the past three months - both times correlating to my visits home to see family - and strangly enough, both have to do with airplanes and airports which are two of my most dreaded locations on earth (since I've lived in France).
When I went home in December, I cried my eyes out along with my mom and my dad as I inched through the security line. It was time to say see you later (never goodbye before getting on a plane!) and what can I say...all three of us were falling apart. I didn't even notice when the metal detector guy asked me to walk through the machine. He had to ask me THREE times before I got it. I sobbed my shoeless self through the machine and then through to the end of the conveyor belt to wait for my things. "Have a good day," the man said, looking me directly in the eye and shooting me a huge white smile. "Thanks," I half smiled back. "Don't be sad," he said, "you'll be back. This just means that you have people you love to come back to."
He was right - and he made me feel a lot better just by being kind in a moment when I really needed it. I admit that I at first thought he was a weirdo when he shot me the big smiley face, but he was right to insist because he got through to me and my pathetic tears.
I just recently went home again in March and on my way back to Cannes I was blown away by the KLM staff. I know that sounds ridiculous but they could not have been nicer flight staff! I contemplated writing a thank you letter to KLM - that's how great they were. No bad attitudes, always trying to be accommodating, witty jokes for all passengers, smiles - you name it. They were on top of their game. Normally I would say that they were just well trained (this training obviously did not happen in France!) but these people were different. They seemed really genuinely nice. I loved them. I didn't even care that the TV in my aisle didn't work.
There are really good people out there...sometimes we just forget.