The now closing doors buzzed in protest, paused and then closed behind them.
Last week I travelled to Pennsylvania. I needed to speak at a conference, but I left a day earlier to make some business stops. I was too lazy to drive so I chose to fly. For the record, it takes almost as much time to fly to Pennsylvania as to drive and can quickly cost more. Unless perhaps you have your own plane, but I don’t. It was less driving time anyway, and I was tired.
On my way back I rode the train from the airport terminal to the parking lot. There are 2 trains that go from the terminals to hotels and offsite parking lots. Both trains are exactly alike. Both trains have the same information blinking above the openings to the train entrance doors. The only difference is that the trains are staggered approximately 5 minutes for arrival and departure times, and they load and unload on opposite sides of the platform.
I had just stepped on the train. I was standing there, hanging on the rail, with that droopy, travel weary feeling, waiting for the doors to close. At the last instant before the doors closed a middle-aged couple dived into the train car with their luggage crashing in after them.
“I am not sure the other train is running”, the man muttered amidst hard breaths. The lady balanced on her heels for a bit and then sat down on a vacant spot on the bench. She seemed to be in a state of anxious relaxation.
The train made its way to the Marriot Hotel, with the Viscount parking and the ALT hotel to follow. At the Marriot hotel, most of the people exited the train car. It was just me and the couple, waiting for the doors to close. Suddenly through the still open train door, the guy sees the sign flashing its message on the opposite side of the platform
“…THIS… TRAIN… GOES… TO… VISCOUNT… AND… ALT HOTEL….”
“Look! He pointed, “That train goes to the ALT hotel!” They grabbed their luggage and frantically scrambled out. The heels miraculously navigated the slight breach between train and platform. The now closing doors buzzed in protest, paused and then closed behind them.
As my train continued to Viscount and ALT hotel, I laughed and silently thanked the couple for making my trip more interesting.
But after thinking about it for a little I realized something that isn’t so funny. I am not that different. We have all heard of “my way or the highway” people. Typically, we are talking about someone else. Someone sort of extreme.
But many times, we might be sitting across from a colleague, and we are negotiating a proposal. To any observer it would appear the goal is the same. But I am only seeing it through my lens. Or perhaps there is a certain way I always do something on the jobsite. My coworker does it a bit differently. It seems stupid to me, but ultimately the result is the same. As the saying goes, “it’s hard to see the label when you are in the box.”
So many times, the train across the platform is going to same place. And while your way seems better, and you win the debate, you might get there even later yet.
As always, take good care, invite someone to sign up to this letter, and we will talk to you next month.
