transparency

I am not sure why I feel inspiration about this topic at the moment, but for some reason I have been thinking about directness and transparency. There was a time in my life where I would have hidden from you. You know when you see the child hide behind their parent’s leg, only peeking out to see if it was safe? That was me. My father used to scare me, and often I just was the quiet soul. Yes, you could bring me out of my quietness, you could get me comfortable and make me laugh, but if I thought there was a place of fear or conflict I would usually retreat back into myself. However, the old ladies at church did not scare me and I usually put on the charm for them.

Something happened as I continued to evolve into myself. Maybe it was losing my parents at a young age. Maybe it was seeing so many people hide their feelings and not be honest with themselves or those around them. Somehow I started talking and well I guess I have not stopped. If you interact with me on a daily basis you know you will hear exactly what is on my mind. You will know when I am happy, or sad, or frustrated. You will be able to see it on my face or you will know by how I respond. How exuberant I am to help and support you, or how short I am with a response. You will learn that I love deeply. You will learn to never mess with someone I love.

All of that comes out with my directness and transparency. There are times where I could probably be more careful with my delivery. I am aware of that and I try to be careful with the audience I am around. However, if I am comfortable with you, and we share our day-to-day life, I will probably tell you when my basement floods or when I have just received the perfect POTD (Picture of the Day) of my niece. You know the days when you are so utterly frustrated and you see the look on their precious little face and you are transported to a different world and you inhale and remember none of this really matters except the irresistible snuggles and coos of a little one? I have a video on my phone of my niece, Charlie, that I have been playing on repeat over the past week or so. She is cooing at herself in the mirror and I just want to eat her up.

I digress. You just witnessed a bit of my transparency and brain-barf of what is on my mind (I just paused to watch the video of Charlie again). I hope you live your days and moments in full transparency, without fear of what people think. Be direct. Say what you think.

#lifeistooshort

I was talking to a colleague yesterday about the fees he incurred to purchase one $27.00 concert ticket. After the fee and order charge (which totaled $12.00) the ticket cost was $39.50, and that was using will call, so no shipping fees. So my question is: what does the $8.50 and $3.00 go to? Why not just post the tickets as $39.50? Is it like a plane ticket where depending on the website you purchase from, you sometimes have to wait until the final screen to know how much you are really paying in taxes + fees?

Fees and taxes seem to be on the rise across many industries. We all know the crazy airline fees and taxes we have had to pay in recent years. I am not sure many of us even understand what we are truly paying for when we purchase a ticket. Add on to that a hotel room, or a rental car. After you add-on the taxes and fees, it often feels like you have paid twice as much. It seems like it would be easier to just give the price to the customer inclusive of all the taxes and the fees. Although just a few weeks ago, airlines rolled out new fees that are supposed to make travelers happy. This article states:

“Extra legroom, early boarding and access to quiet lounges were just the beginning. Airlines are now renting Apple iPads preloaded with movies, selling hot first class meals in coach and letting passengers pay to have an empty seat next to them. Once on the ground, they can skip baggage claim, having their luggage delivered directly to their home or office.”

Now we pay extra taxes and fees when we purchase a ticket, to bring extra baggage, and for the luxury to not have to share the seat next to you. What will be next? Purchase an entire row so you can stretch out?