A true story

Flight 1915

Sitting in an airplane is a way of life for many people today. As I write this at 2:30AM, I see a half empty cabin of weary travelers. I look around at my fellow travelers. Some are talking, a variety of subjects from personal to business. A few are sleeping; contorted into the space a coach seat gives you. Did you ever notice the positions people sleep in on an airplane? How about the expressions on their faces, ever notice them? The flight attendants scurry around in their clockwork precision tending the passenger’s needs, answering questions, and soothing irritated nerves. We are in our own little world inside the cabin. There is only one road in this world, splitting it in half. It’s a busy road too. Oops ø someone just bumped my arm on the way to the lavatory. I think I will have to be more careful of the traffic on this highway.

How did we get here? Let’s see, I think it started around 9:00PM. That’s it, the flight was supposed to leave Atlanta at 9:30PM, but with the freezing rain pouring down in sheets, the flight crews were having difficulty making their flights. First there were two missing flight attendants, then a missing co-pilot. Bad weather and airplane make strange bedfellows. It seems the co-pilot lived in Atlanta and had to drive about 20 miles in the freezing rain, then take the controls of a complicated flying machine with it’s precious cargo of us travelers, and fly to a city two hours away. Talk about stress! And us travelers think WE have it bad just waiting to get on with our trip.

Our airplane glistens in the many colored lights around the airport. The ice on the wings reflects the reds, blues, yellows, and whites in a kaleidoscope of ever-changing patterns. We hear from the Captain we are number 17 for deicing. A quick calculation gives me an idea of how long our wait will be. Looks like a long night to me. Time does pass reasonably fast. I nap, observe my fellow travelers, read my book, and of course, write this journal. Already I am too late to meet friends in Houston. My stay was to be only 11 hours anyway, so I know I won’t see them this trip. That would have upset me in the past, but I have learned the travel gods have no care about what I want. In fact they seem to enjoy changing my schedule to the worst possible scenario. Already I am looking at arriving at my destination around 5AM, then I have another flight to catch at 10:30AM tomorrow (this) morning. So much for the good nights sleep this stop over was supposed to give me. Not to mention missing my friends who were anxious to see me. It doesn’t matter I see no return in the future. That disappointment will be remembered a long time. But again, there is nothing I can do about it so I don’t get very upset. I can live with a small amount of disappointment and go on to life’s next challenge. Besides, if everything in life went according to plan, I would get very bored. Don’t we all live for the challenges and opportunities we are given in life? Sure, some things are painful or even life altering, but what an opportunity for excitement and personal growth. With disappointment comes new plans. With change comes new people and places. As I sit observing my fellow travelers, all the bad weather has caused is me missing my friends. I can make up the sleep (I never do because I don’t want to miss anything). It is Saturday night so my work schedule is not upset. I wasn’t going to call home tonight so my wife won’t be worried where I am or if something has happened. And what have I gained? Extra hours with 80 new people. Some I will meet. Some I will not. All I will observe. I will make 1 or 2 new friends, probably never seeing them again. I will laugh with them, and enjoy their humor. I will cry with them as they relive their sorrows. I will rejoice with them in their good fortunes. All that gained because bad weather delayed my flight by only 5 hours. A good trade I think. Had I been going home, maybe this experience would not have been so pleasant. I do miss my family and home. At the same time, I meet new people. Again, not a bad trade. It seems the travel gods weren’t quite as bad as I first thought. I forgot to count my blessings again until I wrote them here.

Thank you, God, for my safe trip,
For my friends I travel with.

Thank you for those who wait,
For my understanding wife.

Thank you for the gift of life,
For the people with me tonight.

Thank you for all you’ve given,
For letting me be all I can.

I am in my hotel room now. The clock says 4:45AM. My 2-hour trip took 7 hours. I lost 5 hours, but I gained new friends and experiences. I am bored, tired, and a little frustrated, but I arrived here safely. Though I wish the trip had not taken so long, any airplane trip which ends safely is a good one. Knowing that makes all the rest seem trivial to me.