Take Over Our Table … Iceland Family Adventure!
"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." – Aesop
While on a family vacation in Iceland, we decided to do a whale watching tour of Reykjavik. It was great to finally make it to Iceland, as we had planned this trip more than eight years ago, but weather conditions prevented us from getting here.
I was fortunate to accumulate enough reward miles on United Airlines, allowing us to fly for free other than the standard airline-related taxes. We did fly Economy, but when family members are sitting next to you, it’s not so bad.
Quick Iceland Observations
Before I share the “table” story, let me provide a few Iceland vacation observations …
It was far more expensive than I anticipated. For example, regardless of what you eat (i.e., hamburgers, fish & chips, Islandic food, etc.), you can expect each meal to run about $40 on the low side (per person). When a family of five is traveling together, you can imagine the total bill.
We traveled in June, which means we had super long days. In fact, it is literally daytime for 20+ hours. It gets somewhat dark around 2 am, but it’s more like twilight.
June is the least rainy month, but it still rained nearly every day. We were fortunate to get plenty of sun as we made our way around the country.
It’s super hard to pronounce any words in the Islandic language.
Google Maps gets you around without a problem.
The Blue Lagoon is even more spectacular than I imagined.
Whale Watching Tour
On our third day in Iceland, we went on a planned Viator tour that took us on a whale watching experience. Once we boarded, we secured a table on the inside of the boat where we could enjoy a coffee while we made our way to the whale watching spot.
The boat was full of tourists! The guide mentioned that a large German tour group was participating, so she would do the tour both in English and German.
After about 20 minutes or so, we decided to go outside and get some fresh air. We left a few heavy coats and my backpack on the table, as we wanted to have a place to sit on the journey back to Reykjavik.
After a few minutes, we observed a couple occupying our table, and I decided to inform them that this table belonged to us. They were German, and they spoke good English.
I approached the couple, “Hello … I’m sure this is our table.”
The lady said, “It’s your table, but you are outside.”
I responded, “Yes … but our things are still on the table.”
I said, “We will be back a little later (pointing to the backpack and other items).
She responded, “Yes … sure.”
With that short exchange, something told me to leave things alone and to allow them to share the table while we were outside. I was a bit disturbed about the situation, but I felt it was best to let it go.
Looking back now, this is how I think I should have handled this circumstance …
“Hello! I wanted to introduce myself and let you know these items belong to us. However, we are happy to share the table with you while we are outside.”
The fact is that we did not own the table.
More importantly, I think there is far more value in showing kindness to strangers than thinking I own something.
I know these are small situations, but the lessons are far bigger.
Would you agree?
See you next week, my friends!
Closing Quotes
"If you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your path." – Buddha
"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier." – Mother Teresa
Homework Inquiry
During the next week, here’s your homework inquiry: How will you show kindness to others?
I use this opportunity to share with you a unique story and a couple inspiring quotes. Oh ... as a professor at heart, you guessed it, I have a homework inquiry for you. This is a powerful question that might just trigger you to take action on something that really matters in your life. If you feel the Catalyst Newsletter brings benefit to you.