What Wisconsin reminded me about the people who carry us along the way
When people see that Youngstrom Safety traveled to Wisconsin for another presentation, it probably looks pretty simple from the outside. Get on a plane, show up, share Russ’s and my story, hand out some yellow bracelets and head home. And technically…yes, that IS what happened. 😂 But when I started looking back at this trip, what stood out to me wasn’t really the flight or even adding another state to the places we’ve spoken. It was how many people helped me along the way.
It started before I even got to the airport. Tanya gave me a ride to SEA and sent me off with a homemade egg breakfast sandwich, which was YUMMY and definitely better than whatever I would have talked myself into buying at the airport. 😋 Somewhere in there I also discovered that I had officially qualified for Alaska Airlines Silver status, so apparently all this traveling is making me fancy now. 😂 The wheelchair check folks at both SEA and Chicago were incredibly kind, my gate at SEA was practically steps from security, and I was VERY thankful that I had chosen overalls for the flight because comfort matters!
Even airport security gave me something to appreciate. X-rays are probably not something most of us think of as a “blessing,” but knowing they help prevent dangerous items from getting onto an airplane certainly makes me grateful they are there. And somewhere along the way, I had the HOPE bracelet Russ had given me with me at the Chicago airport. Little things like that have a way of making him feel close, even when I’m somewhere far from home.
Then there was Zamira. I started chatting with her at Starbucks, learned she was traveling to Uzbekistan and then discovered that, of ALL the people in that airport, she just happened to be my seatmate. By the end of the flight to Chicago, we had become Facebook friends. We also had a good laugh when we realized I would make it all the way to Wisconsin, do my presentation AND be headed back home before she even reached her final destination. 😳
The flight had its moments too. There was a screaming baby behind me, and I watched one of the flight attendants step in and help calm things down with such patience. I know babies cry and parents are doing their best, but I’m pretty sure everyone within several rows was silently rooting for that flight attendant. 😉 Once I landed, I was apparently upgraded to Uber Comfort and my driver, Jesus, was incredibly kind and helpful getting me where I needed to go.
Back at home, Max, a former client and neighbor, was helping with some Tatersitting duties, so I knew Tater was being taken care of too. 🐶 My box of yellow bracelets made it safely to the hotel, the weather was BEAUTIFUL, and for once I wasn’t dealing with some ridiculously early flight or presentation time. Those may sound like small things, but when you travel often, you learn pretty quickly that small things can make a BIG difference.
Then came the reason I was there in the first place. Tonya, a former client who became a friend and is now a current client again, was my ride to and from the presentation. The yellow bracelets were really well received, which always means so much to me because they carry a piece of Russ’s story into the hands of the people sitting in that room. And somewhere in the middle of all of it, I got to video chat with my granddaughter, which is a pretty great way to make a hotel room feel a little more like home. 💛
After the presentation, the kindness kept showing up in little places. Ramesh, my Uber driver to Kwik Trip, was kind, knowledgeable and made the ride enjoyable. And YES, Kwik Trip had old-fashioned crème-filled Long Johns, so obviously that needed to be investigated for research purposes. 😂 I’m happy to report that Wisconsin did just fine in the donut department.
The woman working the front desk at the Comfort Inn also went WAY beyond what she needed to do. She kept my leftover pizza in the refrigerator for me and even heated it up right before my Uber arrived. At the airport, Peter helped me with my baggage and had such a great sense of humor that even the boring airport stuff became enjoyable. Neither one of them had to make my day easier, but they did.
Thankfully, both flights were direct with no connections. Even when my flight home ended up delayed and got in late, Stacy still came to SEA to pick me up. By the time I finally made it home, I had officially added Wisconsin as the 37th state where Youngstrom Safety has given a presentation. That number is exciting to me, but I think I came home thinking even more about all the people attached to getting me there.
The trip may have had my name on the itinerary, but I sure didn’t make it happen by myself.
And maybe that is the part that feels familiar whether you travel for work or spend your days on a jobsite, in a plant, behind the wheel or working alongside the same crew every day. Very few of us accomplish anything completely on our own. Somebody gives us a ride, catches something we missed, makes our job easier, checks on us or simply shows up when we need them.
I think sometimes we get so focused on the task in front of us that we forget to notice those people. We finish the job, check the box and move on to the next thing. But when I looked back at Wisconsin, the presentation was only one part of the story. The rest of it was people looking out for me from the moment I left home until the moment I got back.
That feels a whole lot like safety to me.
It isn’t always the BIG dramatic moment. Sometimes it is simply noticing the person beside you and doing the little thing that makes their day safer, easier or just a little better.
Wisconsin may officially be state number 37 for Youngstrom Safety, but I think what I’ll remember most is how many people helped me get there and home again. 💛
