Good Vibes

The mother of a boy who moved to Salem was looking to book a room in a hotel near where her son now lived.  He didn’t drive, so the idea was to stay in a place close enough so both could walk together during her visit.  As she called around for vacancies she discovered that her ‘special airfare deal’ was during a peak visitation season for Salem, the turning of the fall colors.  As she received yet another ‘we’re booked’ response to her query, she asked why was it so busy.

“This is the last weekend before the winter, so most hotels will be booked.”

She then offered to explain her challenge as well as the conditions of her effort to visit her son. 

   “Do you at least have a waiting list?”

   “Yes, we do”

   “Can you put me on it”

   “Yes, I suppose I can”

She ended the call amicably and continued to call other hotels in the area.  The best she could get was a small smoking room on a smoking floor in a near-by hotel.  Reluctant to agree to those conditions, she realized she had little choice.  About then, her phone rang and the proprietor of the Bed and Breakfast she had talked to earlier informed her that he had a cancellation.

   “I thought I was like the fourth on the waiting list?”

   “You are, but I’m the owner and I can do what I want.  After hearing of your story about coming to see your son, along with that he didn’t drive, I felt you needed the room the most”

  So she got the room that was closer to her son and at about half the price of the smoking room. 

   The moral of the story is glaring, but let me summarize.  She related to a person on a personal level; challenge to make her wishes bear fruit.  A person responded with kindness and consideration.  Of all the possible other options; using the computer to book a room, or a rude behavior towards nameless people on a phone to obstacles would not have rendered the same results.  When we invest in people, people invest in us.  

I think personal relations skills need to be brought back into the shaping of necessities of life skills taught in the family; double down at our schools.  It clearly gets results.