Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Can you sleep on a plane?

I've struggled to sleep on airplanes, even on long flights. It's easy to find excuses, but heading into this 8 hour flight back to the UK, I thought I'd try again.

Sure enough, the excuses and problems were easy to find. I had three young children in the row behind me, and a monster in front of me that not only shook his chair adjusting himself every 5 minutes, but his entire row of seats moved too. I swear I heard screws pop, I wonder if he ate spinach like Popeye or had a green chest like the hulk. The children played a screaming game that included pounding the TV screen on the back of my chair. I involuntarily bobbed back and forth towards monster man doing the row shake.

After awhile, I took a deep breath, and seeked the positive. I noticed the air conditioning was soothingly loud, I noticed a blanket that kept me warm, I noticed the extra elbow room I had due to an empty seat next to me, I noticed the darkness after closing the window shade. Apparently it didn't take much and I was fast asleep. I woke up some time later with a dry mouth, so I have almost no doubt that I was snoring. 

What a liberating feeling to sense the environment and situation, seek the positive, and change. It seems like it was all in my head and I can't help but wonder what if the environment or situation were completely different and required feedback, conflict or conversation; this definitely relates to organisations and team work. Would I have been willing and capable to influence the situation and find the most positive progress for everyone involved? I think that's exactly what I'm studying and practicing these days, love it!

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