I was in an airplane and I noticed something. One person started complaining. Then another. Then the whole front of the plane was complaining. It started with one, and it ended with the whole front section.
We weren’t going anywhere. We had been waiting in the cabin for 30 minutes as the bags were loaded. The woman next to me was nervous about leaving on time. She had a rental car waiting for her in Kansas City and the rental desk closed at 1:30 a.m. She started complaining to the stewardess about not having a ride and about being stranded inside the airport. The others agreed and added to the fire.
Instead of calling the company to plan ahead anticipating a delay and problem on the other end, she complained.
And that complaint led to another complaint until the whole front of the airplane had rental cars waiting for them. Some even threatened lawsuits if the plane did not land on time.
Negative energy has a very potent power.
I learned in Spain not to worry. Things will work out. Somehow. Now, I’m not in Spain. However after months of taking photos and interviewing in Spanish, I can now see how I’ve culturally adapted, and continue to think with a spanish accent.
After my mom had visited me in Spain and was waiting on a plane in Madrid, they announced in English that there would be a delay of 15 minutes. The announcement afterward in Spanish was that there would be a bit of a delay. That “bit” had as many interpretations as there were listeners to the announcement. Americans need quantifiable times involving exact numbers to wait, whereas the Spanish simply accept that there is a wait. I have to respect what I learned in Spain. Patience.
There was nothing these women could do about not leaving on time. No amount of bitching was going to get those bags to load faster. What they could have done was think productively and made a call instead of worry, complain and bother others.
Meanwhile, the negative energy in the front of my plane was palpable and unavoidable. I could easily have joined the negative energy train if I had not lived in Spain and internalized a different mindset. Negative thinking is easier: it doesn’t require thinking creatively.
What’s wrong with a little positive energy? Think about the power of that. It propels you forward rather than pulling you down. It encourages thinking of solutions rather than dwelling on the problems.
This blog will no longer include my stories and adventures of Spain, but I can’t help but take Spain with me. Rather it will be my experiences and ruminations post Spain. Living in Spain has taught me a lot. I don’t want to forget what I’ve learned and how it has changed my life perspective. Come with me on this new adventure…and we’ll toast “¡ Salud, dinero y amor y tiempo para gustarlos!”