“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them,
for this is the Law and the Prophets”
Matthew 7:12
The Golden Rule
It is something nearly every frequent flyer dreads … the incessant cries of a baby on a plane. The parents are beside themselves not knowing what to do and embarrassed. No one on the plane can escape the grating sound piercing through even the best of noise cancelling headphones. We can also assume the child isn’t too happy about the circumstances. Being stuck on a plane for hours with a crying baby is an immense test of patience.
Rebekka Garvison found herself on the parent side of this debacle on September 24, 2015.[i] She woke her 4 month old daughter Riley up early to catch a 6AM flight from Chicago to Atlanta. They were on their way to see Riley’s dad, an active duty Army firefighter. Balancing a stroller, diaper bag, carryon, and a four month old, she struggled her way onto the plane. She recounts her experience as she navigated the narrow isle to her seat, “I noticed that the 2 seats next to me were taken and this couple looked very annoyed and I could tell by their body language sitting right next to me that they weren't thrilled about sitting next to Rylee.”
She sat in her seat anyway and Rylee began to cry. Her efforts to calm Rylee did nothing to soothe the upset child. Rebekka became more and more stressed and upset as she was not able to calm her new child. Looking around the plane, she noticed two empty seats and asked the flight attendant if she could move. With the approval of the flight attendant she moved seats and found herself sitting next to a woman named Nyfesha Miller. Despite her best efforts, Riley would not stop crying and this is when Nyfesha stepped in. She asked Rebekka a simple question, “do you mind if I try?” As soon as Nyfesha took her, Riley stopped crying, it was not long before the young girl was asleep.
Nyfesha’s kindness did not stop there, Rylee slept in her arms the entire flight and then she carried her out of the plane assuring Rebekka that it was not a problem to hold Riley, it was a comfort. Rebekka ends her facebook post saying this,
“Nyfesha Miller, you will never understand how happy this act of kindness has made my family. You could've just rolled your eyes and been irritated like everyone else, but you took her and held her the entire flight and let me get some rest and peace of mind. It brought tears to my eyes while I sat there and watched you and Rylee sleeping next to me. I just couldn't believe how that ended up working out and how caring you were to us. Thank you SO much!! God bless you!!”
The golden rule is more than just being patient or kind to others, it is more than not doing harm. The golden rule is looking at someone’s situation and asking, “how would I want to be treated if I was in their place?” Then it is following through with your actions. If you ever find yourself thinking, “I wish someone would call me, hold the door, be patient, speak kindly, listen or talk ...” don’t focus on what you aren’t getting, instead, focus on treating others the way you want to be treated.
[i] ABC News Airline Kindness: Amazing Gesture of Stranger Captured in Viral Photo ABC News September 29, 2015. https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/airline-kindness-amazing-gesture-stranger-captured-viral-photo/story?id=34129895