Finding some platinum on a school bus one fine day

In 2003, when Shelly and I got married, we were so happy to have our friends and family as part of our special day.  We had invited several of our friends and relatives to be on our wedding party, and they all graciously accepted.  One of the major concerns that Shelly and I had was in regard to the fact that many of the members of the wedding party were unfamiliar with each other, and even more concerning was that some of these wedding party members were bringing a guest who saw everyone around them as an absolute stranger.

Shelly and I had both experienced situations where, after all the pictures at the church, the wedding party members hop into a limousine or a caravan of vehicles, leaving their guests behind to fend for themselves.  Being mindful of these experiences, we tried to figure out what we could do so that our wedding party members' guests could be with the person who had invited them, without getting "ditched" at the church.

We came upon a solution...

source: Wikipedia

A school bus!  Shelly is an elementary-school teacher, so it was entirely appropriate and fitting.  The bus had two great advantages.  Number one...It was extremely affordable; number two...It had enough room for wedding party members and their guests, with room to spare.

The only thing we had to coordinate was shuttling the wedding party members and guests from the reception location (where they parked their cars) to the church, so that there were no vehicles left behind after the service.

Without even knowing it, Shelly and I had practiced what Dr. Tony Alessandra calls "The Platinum Pule."  We all know the "golden rule," which states, "Do unto others as you would like done unto you."  Dr. Alessandra's "Platinum Rule" states, "Do unto others as they want done unto them."

In reserving the school bus, we wanted to make sure nobody felt left out.  We wanted to convey to everyone, most importantly the people whom we didn't even know, that we cared about them and wanted to welcome them to share our special day...As a member of the wedding party.

When it comes to our own lives, think of the people we work and live with, and how personalities vary from person to person.  Some people like to socialize, and lack organizational skills; some people are very direct and "down to business," and they are not major conversationalists; some people want harmony in their lives at all costs.  Still there are some people who are perfectionists and prefer very detailed information before making decisions.  Let's think of that "platinum rule" when we interact with others.  How would others appreciate interacting with us?  If we are dealing with someone who wants to be efficient and down to business, we should probably cut down on the socializing and "fluff" and get to the point.  If we are dealing with someone who likes to socialize, we would really increase effective communication by engaging in some "small talk" before getting to the point.

On the home front, the ever-popular toilet-seat debate (do you leave the seat up or down?) is a great place to start.  If you know your spouse appreciates the seat to be down, why not apply the rule and make sure the seat is down?

We found a bit of platinum that great day on the bus, and if we can find platinum on a school bus, with people we didn't even know, then we all can certainly find platinum on any ordinary day, with the familiar personalities at work and at home.

Best wishes!

-Victor