Dear Selfie Taker One Seat Over

While you spent 20 minutes taking selfies of yourself on an airplane, I was busy changing the world. While you reversed the camera and evaluated the positioning of your sunglasses, and the lighting on your skin, I talked with the man sitting next to me and discovered his admirable commitment to being a father – how he is flying to pick up his daughter for the summer, arranging to trade in her 2-wheel drive for a 4-wheel to make sure she is safe in the winter, and starting another business to make sure he can financially support her dreams of becoming an occupational therapist and allow his other daughter to stay near the ocean where she feels most alive.

While you were tilting your head just perfectly so it appeared you had no idea someone was taking your photo, I was writing an article about American education, aiming to inspire people to be more mindful before dishing out 100s of 1000s of dollars for something their university may not deliver on. And while you scrolled through your many photo options to pick the perfect one to post for your friends, I was consciously creating a safe landing for us all by pouring gratitude and amazement on this aircraft, and I sat in awe at all that it carries so flawlessly in mid-air.

Selfie taker, while you spent 20 minutes trying to tell the world why you are awesome, I was busy showing it.

P.S.- We can all be more mindful of the things we are doing. Today, I encourage you to think twice before grabbing social media to communicate. Look up and say hello to someone you’ve never seen before, spend 5 seconds spreading gratitude on something that didn’t exist 100 years ago, or use at least 5 minutes after reading this article to inspire others through encouragement or sharing your point of view.

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