I saw a bumper sticker that said, “What if the Hokey Pokey is really what it is all about?” I tend to agree.
I flew out of Macon, Georgia, via Atlanta, a while back. I looked out of my car window and saw no planes flying above as I drove into the airport. To say the least, I was concerned that no flights were departing from the small airport.
As I checked in, the gate agent was totally absorbed with clipping his nails. I heard the familiar, “Click….click…click….” “Excuse me,” I said. “Isn’t there a flight to Atlanta?” “No, Ma’am, we ain’t fly’in that plane today.” My heart started to pound inside my chest. “How do I get to Atlanta?” I asked. “Well, jist git in line with the others, “he said. “All ya’ll is go’in on the Greyhound.” At that moment I noticed 35 people with fire in their eyes in the same predicament I was in. No plane, just hours of riding on the Greyhound Bus.
You could not find a single soul who was looking forward to this journey. I heard threats of calling the airline, the FAA, etc…. This trip was not going to be pleasant.
This bus driver was another story. Apparently this was not his first rodeo and he knew that his job was to drive a bus load of angry people to Atlanta. After we were seated, the driver said, “Welcome to Macon Georgia Airlines or, as we call it, MACONGA AIR. We have no delays in leaving; we are always the first in line for departure. Please make sure your seats are reclined for your comfort. You are allowed to move around and enjoy cool drinks and snacks at any time.” Our driver was a “hokey-pokey kind of guy.” He wanted all of us to shake off our stress and turn things around.
His magic worked. The looks of frustration started to disappear. “Please feel free to use your cell phones or anything with battery on our trip,” the driver said. I heard people on their cell phones telling what happened and how comfortable they were riding on this bus.
By the time we reached Atlanta, we were a bus full of happy, rested people requesting that the bus take us back to Macon on MACONGA AIR. Talk about a change of attitude!
I hope and pray I can be the kind of person who does the right thing (right foot), shakes things off, and turns it around. Because I do believe, that is what it’s all about.
