Hello Visitor,
This is my first blog entry. I was encouraged to start a blog by the folks who host my website. So, here it is and here I am. Thanks for the visit.
(This is Proof That Being Extra-Nice Is Worth The Effort)
Two weeks ago, I was traveling from Omaha to Denver on North West Airlines (NWA). It had been a hectic couple weeks of travel and I was eager to get to the hotel and get some much-needed rest. (I had a talk to give the next morning.) So, I didn’t check my guitar as it came out of the oversized luggage shoot. After I got settled in my hotel, I went to open my guitar case and discovered it had been brutalized by some type of vehicle. You could see the tire marks on the outer shell! My Takamine guitar was smashed! Even though I used it the next day (my audience felt sooooo sorry for me), it was ruined. Being a stress guru I didn’t let it bother me much.
The next day: I went to the ticket counter at NWA and was turned over to a supervisor (a lovely caring woman who was shocked and upset when she saw my guitar). I forget her name, but let’s call her Janis. Well Janis told me she would be right back with a form for me to get reimbursed for my loss. When she came back, I could tell instantly that she found out (as I already knew) that guitars were not covered for damage from baggage handling. Janis was way more upset than I was. She even said, “how come you’re not upset?” I told her that stuff like this happens to everybody sometimes and life is too much fun to let little things mess up your mood.
Then I gave Janis a finger puppet and told her that whenever she needs someone to brighten her mood just talk with her finger puppet. She laughed and said “you know I can give you a $300 ticket voucher, would that be okay?” Of course, I said, “That’s more than I expected.”
On my way to the shuttle to catch my flight back home, I heard my name called to come back to the ticket counter. Once there, Janis told me that after she explained to her supervisor how pleasant I was and about the finger puppet she wanted to reimburse me for my guitar. “Would a check for $300 (plus the $300 voucher) be enough?” she asked. I said, “Absolutely”. Though the guitar was a gift, it cost about $600 when it was bought for me.
Now you know one of the many reasons why I always have finger puppets in my pockets. And why I am always pleasant and upbeat with everyone I meet.
‘till next time.
Richard
www.makesafetyfun.com
