You heard what?
March 11, 2011 (Friday)
In 1997, our son, David, gave Wanda and me two Southwest Airlines tickets to enable a trip to the Northeast to see the fall foliage. We flew to Providence, renting a car that we drove to Boston, Barre, St. Albins, Lake Placid, Utica, Niagara Falls, Ithaca, Lancaster and Baltimore. En route to each place we visited other very interesting spots. Each place had its own story and unique charm. Wanda did not feel well a lot of the time, but she enjoyed it all, especially Niagara Falls. She loved the trip on “Maid of the Mist.” But it was hard on her health, and at Niagara Falls we thought of cutting the trip short and heading for home.
I had seen a Southwest Airlines airliner taking off from the Buffalo airport nearby, so I called the airline and attempted to book a flight back home. I was informed that Southwest does not fly into Buffalo. The nearest city possible was Cleveland. When I told the person on the phone that I had seen a Southwest Airlines plane taking off from the Buffalo airport, she said it must have been a charter flight. Well, that explained it.
The experience confirmed the old saying, “Dont believe what you hear and only half of what you see.” I saw the plane as plain as day. It was the airline for which we had tickets. Or was it? No, it was not. The markings on the plane said “Southwest,” but it was not really a “Southwest” flight. It was a charter flight, paid for and scheduled by a private group of some kind. It was not what it seemed to me to be.
How many things have we overheard or seen that seemed to be conclusive evidence of behavior that was worth “telling to someone,” i.e., “gossip about?” Perhaps it would be a good time to apply the guidelines, “Is it true?” and “Is it kind?” and “Will it be helpful?” and “Will it build goodwill?” I’m not talking about having witnessed a crime, etc., but about stuff like..you know, all kinds of stuff that we talk about but should just keep to ourselves. My observation of the plane reminded me that things are not always what they seem. Remember the old Chinese proverb: “Water and words–easy to pour, impossible to retrieve.”