joie de vivre is mellow
I was flying to Japan on a cheapie ticket. The flight was oversold, and there was hysteria at the ticket counter. People were issuing threats, screaming at the agent, a completely bad scene.
I was there with my parents, who were seeing me off. Their anxiety level rose as the emotional tenor of people around us became more frantic. I urged calm and flexibility.
By the time the agent actually got to me, I think he was sick of people being crazy and mean, and noticed that I had been polite and relaxed. So, unlike all those that he bumped off that flight, I was upgraded to business class.
I flew in a wonderful, roomy, completely folding out seat, sitting next to a delightful diplomat from India. I drank a fair bit of free booze, and had a wonderful flight across the Pacific.
