Stick To Your Guns

I don't know why I'm on a rant about solving problems and relieving pain, but here's my third entry on the subject...

Heather and I have always been nice people - that is, we used to try very hard not to cause even the slightest discomfort in any one's life even if that meant we would suffer terribly.

For our four year anniversary we went to London and Scotland. We had already booked the entire trip in advance and were carrying an expandable folder with an itinerary that organized our 11 day trip hourly. We were very excited! So when the nice people at Air Canada canceled our 6/11 10:30pm flight and put us NOT on the 6/12 9:00am flight but on the 6/12 6:00pm we were very upset.

As I sat there debating internally whether I should just be nice and let this one slide I was reviewing how terrible that would be. Rather than eating at a fancy French restaurant watching My Fair Lady and touring London on our anniversary we would be sitting in a smoky hotel room in Toronto, waiting for our flight, and stewing in frustration - Happy Anniversary!

Needless to say, Heather and I left the next morning on the 9:00am flight to London - first class...

There's something in your life that you are letting slide in the name of being nice and it's causing you undo pain and frustration. You're sitting in the hotel room in Toronto cursing the very existence of that poor mid-level employee at Air Canada when you should be enjoying the sights in London. Pick your battles wisely and then stick to your guns. In the end it's less pain for everyone. In the end, sticking to your guns IS being nice!

(I must give props to Jeremy Scott for reminding me about this event through his blog on world travel - check it out here.)