We were looking forward to the flight all week. Just a quick weekend trip, but sometimes that is all you need for a recharging pattern interrupt. As I'm prone to do, I booked the last flight out so as to not compromise the day. I'm a great airplane sleeper, so super early or super late flights work great for me. As we were leaving the office, we checked on our flight, and as luck would have it…DELAYED.
My concern wasn't so much the delay, but whether the rental car counter would be open by the time we got there. I checked the new arrival time, and it seemed that it would be good. Okay then, no worries.
On the way to the airport, we ran into significant traffic that was unusual for that road at that time. Oh well, we had plenty of time and still got to the airport earlier than we are accustomed to, so we decided to snag some dinner. We found a spot with a table and ordered...and waited...and waited...and waited. It took so long, I imagine everyone in the place would miss their flight. The food finally came at the time we heard our gate had changed to one on the other side of the airport, so we scarfed it down, headed to the new gate...and waited...delayed again.
After finally boarding the flight, we found two seats near the rear with a little extra room. It was already past our bedtime, so we looked forward to spreading out and catching some Z's. We settled in and grabbed a book I would try to read until I fell asleep. "Excuse me...is that seat taken?" The plane has empty rows behind us, and this guy thinks the window seat next to us is the best option? Oh well, he gets to choose.
I don't know why God blesses some with a fountain of words that never runs dry, and I'm equally confused why he allows the devil to choose a voice for them that runs up my spine, but He does, and she was sitting right in front of me. I'm not sure she took a breath from the moment we sat down to the moment we walked off the plane. Needless to say, no sleep, but I did learn a lot about a lot of nothing.
We finally landed and well...a plane was at our gate as it was tomorrow already, and the crew must have been asleep. So we waited...a while.
I was surprised and grateful they were still open, and apparently, everyone on the plane rented from the same company. Since we were at the back of the plane, we now found ourselves at the back of the line. Remarkably, the girl in front of us on the plane was right behind us in line, and guess what, she still had plenty of words left!
Finally getting to the counter as morning approached, I discovered that reservations were only suggestions. The kind man suggested that if I wanted a car, I needed to try another company. Hmmm. I rolled with it and did just that, and lucky for us, it was only twice the cost!
"Mornings matter," the alarm clock shouted a few minutes after I fell asleep, and here I am getting the day started.
How you choose to live in the gap between expectation and reality has a lot to do with where you place your hope and trust.
"Jesus looked at them intently and said, 'Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God, everything is possible." (Matthew 19:26)
While Jesus wasn't talking about needing duct tape to cover your mouth and keeping your head from exploding after a long night of travel, it certainly applies. There was a day I would still be in a holding cell with a straitjacket on after that run of lucky events, but not today. Today, I realize things rarely go according to plan, and if I remain flexible and kind to all of the people I bounce off of on the Journey, it can be a great trip, no matter the destination. By myself, no chance...with the Holy Spirit riding shotgun...let's roll!
Today, when things catch you off guard, don't go as planned, or the gap between reality and expectation is massive, remind yourself, you can only control yourself. Let God guide you through those moments and find reasons to be kind and grateful, even if you have to force it. Life can be a bumpy ride. Grab a helmet, buckle up, let the Holy Spirit ride shotgun, and enjoy it! Leave a trail of gratitude and blessings behind you, and remember, God gave that person all those words and loves her like crazy, too!