I was at a conference this week where the keynote speaker
was a guy named Sam Parker. He’s the
author of a short book called 212 - The Extra Degree. The title of the book references the fact
that, at 211 degrees, water is hot.
However, if you increase the temperature of that water by just 1 degree
to 212 degrees, the water boils and creates steam, which can power a
locomotive. Parker’s concept is that
very minor adjustments in our daily lives can have remarkable impacts. As corny (and simple) as that all sounds, he was actually a very good speaker and made a lot of good suggestions that I'm going to try and incorporate.
One of the things that Parker mentioned was how simply
smiling three more times a day can make a difference. I decided to give that a try since I’ve often
heard that I “look angry.” I think it’s
because I have to work extra hard to keep my lips closed over my (large and crooked)
teeth. That makes me look like I’m
frowning even when I’m not the least bit unhappy.
Today, as I was standing in line waiting to board my plane
home from Miami, a woman in the gate area passed by me. Our eyes briefly met and, keeping my new goal
in mind, I gave her a polite smile. She
returned my smile and that was that.
Ten minutes later, I was in my window seat, settling in for
the flight home. The flight attendant
had said that our plane wouldn’t be full so I was looking forward to putting my
laptop bag underneath the middle seat and stretching my legs out in front of
me. I had a New Yorker out and was
beginning to read it when someone else stepped into my row. It was the woman from the gate area. I figured that she would take the aisle seat
but, instead, she plopped down right next to me in the middle seat. “That’s a bit odd,” I thought. “Maybe she’s traveling with someone and
they’re going to take the aisle seat next to her.”
Nope. A few minutes
later, the last of the passengers had boarded the plane and taken their seats. My traveling companion didn't have a friend on the flight and the aisle seat remained open. But, she didn't slide over. Instead, she stayed right where she was -- which was right next to me. "This is just wierd," I said to myself.
It got just a bit wierder. First, as we were rumbling down the runway to take off, she made the sign of the cross twice. Then, once we got airborne, she reached into her bag and pulled out a book to read. What book, you might ask? That would be Fifty Shades of Grey. I couldn't believe it. There are empty seats on the plane. She sat down right next to a complete stranger. And, then she pulled out that book and started to read it? I actually got a little scared.
Of course, I didn't say or do anything. I just sat there for a couple hours, read my magazine, did some work, and tried to imagine what the next odd piece of behavior would be. Thankfully, it never came. When we landed, my seat mate quietly packed her book, stood up, and left. We never said a word. I gave a sigh of relief. So much for this smiling thing.
