I semi-regularly fly from Minneapolis to the Washington, D.C.
This morning, I was returning to Minneapolis and was in the screening line and I observed a TSA officer talking with a mother who had a young daughter with her. They clearly had entered the fairly long screening line without all the documents they needed. The officer was patient, explaining what they needed and then made an effort to walk them in the right direction to get the proper paper work.
The challenge for the TSA officer was that there were lots of folks waiting and he had to walk the fine line of being helpful to the mother and daughter, while knowing other people needed to get through the screening process to catch their flights. I greatly appreciated this officer’s act of kindness toward the mother and daughter, especially given how busy it was and how easy it would have been for the Officer to turn them away without giving it a second thought.
When it was my turn to present my ID, I happened to have the same TSA officer. I told him that I noticed and appreciated his kindness. I was able to remember his name, Fekadu Wordofa. I genuinely hope you can acknowledge directly with him the benevolence and kind help that I witnessed him engage in, and encourage him to continue to be such a helpful spirit to travelers.
As a psychologist, I think these are the types of actions that make such a difference in our world.
Best,
Tim Elchert
By Wayne Carey, Strategic Communications and Public Affairs