Last summer, my son and I went on a two week seminar tour in the UK. We planned for a few days off in the middle so we could hop over to Paris. We found a reasonably priced hotel right in the heart of the city. It was perfect. Andre’, the innkeeper who checked us in was oozing with hospitality. He made it his personal mission to see to it that we had a great stay. Advice….suggestions….directions? He was all over it. He was still working when we got back to the hotel after our first day of sight seeing and was sincerely eager to hear about our adventure. It was clear that he took great pride in his profession and his city.
The next morning, we got up early so we could maximize the day. Andre’ had the day off and was replaced by another, less than enthusiastic gentleman. This guy was a perfect example of how NOT to treat guests. When I asked him a few basic questions about sites to visit, transportation and restaurants he was disinterested, distracted and impatient. To say the least, he was extremely condescending.
I had to work really hard to not be offended by the second gentleman’s actions. Instead, I choose to view it as a lesson about the importance of having the right attitude and taking the right actions in all that I do. Easy to say…but hard to do….but worth the effort.
Life is amazing. There’s always a lesson to learn…. especially when you are making a conscious effort to be awake.
