It's not all smiles on Southwest

Happiness really is a choice

My friend Kellie Graham responded to my “Got happiness?” blog with the following true story of her experience on a Southwest flight: 

“I thought you might appreciate this experience that I had with Southwest, and I think it ties right in with your blog. 

“I flew Southwest LAX to SLC just after flying from Australia to LAX. I only had an 90 minutes between flights (not enough time). I was flying home for some sad family things. I also just so happened to be in my first trimester of pregnancy and feeling quite sick, running on virtually no sleep, and needing food. I was running the whole way to make it, and my name was being called to the gate. 

“I was the last person on the plane. I apologized profusely to the attendants and plopped down in the first seat I saw and clicked my belt. I quickly grabbed my food and water from my pack and began to frantically eat. The lady sitting next to me, who happened to be a [Mormon] Relief Society President in California quickly turned in to me and started fussing and mothering. Ironically, she was headed to Utah to take care of pregnant/sick daughter. 

“There were two flight attendants, one male and one female. Every time the female attendant went past me, she sharply told me to make some corrective action: put on your belt (it was on), tighten your belt, move your bag, move the strap on your bag, etc. I felt so bad each time. I quickly did what she asked all the while consuming my food, which is all I cared about. Every time the male attendant went past, he made some joke or did something silly. (He could have been your friend.) He even tried to steal my food, which would have been a mistake.

“My new friend sitting next to me made the comment that it was the strangest behavior. Both were singling me out but in different ways. One was probably agitated at me for various reasons and likely had all kinds of petty judgments and notions about me; the other recognized that I was obviously having a difficult time and was trying to brighten my day, even though I may have inconvenienced his. I am sure it would be super annoying to wait on a passenger, but they both made choices on how to react to a situation.”

Got happiness? It’s your choice.

Fitness buff

Jack LaLanne, "The Godfather of Fitness"

He was exactly twice my age, and I’m no spring chicken. Jack LaLanne was so old that all my early memories of him are in black and white. About the time I was born, he began his career as the nation’s fitness coach. So, I can safely say Jack LaLanne spent my whole lifetime promoting America’s health.

LaLanne died this week, leaving behind a legacy of jumpsuits and jumping jacks, often mocked by many-a couch potato. But LaLanne got the last laugh. Evidently, he enjoyed great health for most of his 96 years, something very few aging Americans can claim.

Dubbing himself “The Godfather of Fitness,” LaLanne was the unrivaled pioneer of the health and fitness industry. However, unlike thousands of modern fitness trainers who appeal to the narcissism in each of us by emphasizing individual strength and beauty, LaLanne appealed instead to patriotism. Literally tugging on the American flag, he insisted that our collective health as a nation was directly correlated to making America “the greatest nation on the face of the earth.”

When he warned us, “We are going to be losing our place as a first-class power if something isn’t done radically,” I don’t think he was talking about just our physical power. In fact, he considered our health to be our greatest economic asset, as he asserted in his slogan, “Your health account is your wealth account!”

Anyone who exercises knows that working out makes minds sharper, senses keener, endurance stronger, and general well-being better. Wanting these benefits, I try to work out five or six days a week. Because of my exercise pattern, one of my friends called me a “fitness buff.” Hardly a buff! 

At the gym, I see many people far more dedicated than I am. They arrive before I arrive and leave after I’ve left; they run farther; they lift more weights; and they do more sit-ups, pull-ups, and pushups. Unfortunately, however, even though our country's gym memberships are up, so is our nation’s obesity rate, growing from 13 percent when LaLanne began his career to 34 percent today.

Clearly, many Americans didn’t take Jack LaLanne seriously. Even decades ago, he observed we had “become soft” because we had “too much of everything in this great land of ours.” No matter how much we have, though, all it takes is getting sick or injured for most of us to realize the truth of the old saying, “Without your health, you have nothing.” 

So, if I can live with the same verve and health as the real fitness buff Jack LaLanne, then, as he said, “Long live living long!”