Our first destination was Amsterdam, where we enjoyed an excursion through the canals. It was beautiful and interesting. Seeing the many houseboats along some of the canals was eye-opening, and the hooks affixed to the tops of tall, narrow homes—used to haul up furniture and other goods—were amazing.
Later that day, we toured the Anne Frank House, containing the ghosts of courage and horror. After the tour, we grabbed an Uber for the forty-five-minute drive to the ship. We encountered over two and a half hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic, all the while worried that we might miss the departure time.
Luckily, we made it back with twenty minutes to spare. After dropping our bags and in dire need of food and a drink, we headed to the restaurant. As we stood in line to get in, a fellow passenger walked up to my wife and scolded her because I was not wearing a collared shirt and was “inappropriately dressed” for dinner.
My first reaction was HOLY #$%! Wendy was in shock, and after a few breaths, she turned to her and said, “I am very sorry my appearance causes you such pain. If this is all you have to focus on in your life, I am terribly sorry for you.”
Lesson: Some people are really strange, troubled, and in need of help. But my job is not to bring the same fury with which I was accosted. Nothing is easier than getting triggered by others’ actions or reactions. Nothing is better than avoiding the trap.
