Hi Ted and Randy,
I just loved this metaphor because I always smell the rose and stay clear of the thorn. My glass is always half full, not half empty. So, I’ll give you a rose & thorn story:
I took a tour of 38 pax on an Ohio River cruise a few weeks ago. My paperwork had 3 paragraphs warning me of one of the pax who insisted on “taking a couple of puffs” in a non-smoking room “because of medical reasons” and would NOT stay in a smoking room. She needed to sit close to the bathroom on the bus as well as needing to know where all the restrooms were on the boat, hotel, etc. She stubbornly refused to buy trip insurance even though she kept telling the tour company she was a “cancer/chemo survivor” and could possible have “issues.” The company told me that she would be a handful.
Since we had a few hours on the bus before we arrived at the Ohio River boat, I decided to say a few introductory remarks and then went up and down the aisle talking to each row individually for a few minutes. When I got to the “needy” lady, I just spoke with her like everyone else. She enjoyed the attention, but said nothing to me about her “problems.”
At check-in, she came up to me and started pouring out her troubles, even got tears in her eyes. Since I had already handled things at the desk, I just sat and listened to her (for about 25 minutes). I told her I would speak with the rooms manager and see what I could do about her non-smoking room. I was able to reach a workable solution for her and then had dinner with her. After that, she was all smiles and did not seem to have any “issues” or problems the rest of the trip.
After I received my tip envelope at the end of the tour, this lady came up to me and gave me her own envelope…with a special thank you note and a two $20 bills. My “thorn” had turned into a beautiful rose. J
Happy travels,
Shirley Ward