Gratitude from32,000 feet

Gratitude from 32,000 feet

I do a lot of traveling which gives me a wonderful opportunity to connect with people and  I get the privilege to indulge in to my favorite past time – people observing!

Last week, I flew to see my father who lives in Arkansas. I had a short lay-over in the Houston Airport. Of course, I had to run to the terminal because I was late, for my next flight, only to find out that my flight had been slightly delayed due to weather. Now this terminal isn’t like most international terminals. It is approximately the size of a three bedroom home with seven gates to load people on to the smaller airplanes. This particular afternoon, several hundreds of people were crammed in to this tiny terminal like salty sardines. Which by the way, it smelled like salty sardines with a slight hint of smelly running shoes; well maybe it was me because I was sweating profusely from running in my heels.

In this moment, I was feeling a sense of anxiety and quite a high level of irritation. It seemed like everywhere I turned; no one listened to anything I was saying or at the very least it felt like when I opened my mouth a different language was coming out. My conversations with the airport greeter, the customer service agent, the security representative, the gate agent, the flight attendant were incongruent and confusing. Then I had to run, in heels, to the gate! I even had a “heated discussion” (okay it was an argument) with the person I am dating that morning about effective communication.

Ironic. Or was it?

Once I got on the second leg of my flight itinerary, I had time to breathe. I must have looked completely drained because the flight attendant on this flight took pity on me. She smiled sweetly and asked, “Would you rather have a cocktail than something else?” I just grinned and groaned, “Water, please.”

I looked out the window, rising above the Houston trees and city. I began reflecting on an incident that happened just before I boarded the plan.

In the midst of the chaotic scene of the small terminal and my sweaty armpits, a beautiful human being stood as if he were the center of the wheel and each person there was the spoke of the wheel. He watched people in wonderment. His smile stretched from ear lobe to ear lobe. His hands rose to the center of his heart, clapping at the amusement before him.

I suppose I must have been staring a little too long because he turned to his right to look at me directly. It was as if a magnet pulled his small body to face me head on. He started to walk towards me but it seemed like his feet weren’t even moving – it was more like he was floating towards me. Did anyone else see this going on?

In an instant he was in front of me. He grabbed my hands and said, “Smile, child, smile. This world is too good to not smile. A woman with beautiful eyes should not look so sad. You have beautiful eyes. Smile!”

Tears flooded my “beautiful” eyes.

He laughed and laughed. Was he laughing at me?

I didn’t know whether to be hurt or laugh with him. He kept laughing. So…

I laughed with him.

At that point, I didn’t care if anyone else saw this angel in front of me or not. All of the stress melted away and I didn’t even notice the aroma of the terminal any longer.

I take my life too seriously sometimes…a lot actually. I also realized how the universe loves me so much to present opportunities for me to practice and heal the areas I need to grow in. If I don’t get it, or I pass up the opportunity to learn, the universe presents another scenario until I do: the person I’m dating, the airport greeter, the customer service agent, the security representative, the gate agent, and the flight attendant. I manifested six opportunities to practice effective, empowered communication, in one day!

When I took the moment to be open to the opportunity, I was rewarded with joy and laughter. This smiling, laughing man became an inspired teacher, for me, to remind me to be grateful for each moment. How different the day could have been for me if I had taken a moment to breathe, to be grateful and be open to having an inspired conversation with each person I met that day.

Interestingly enough, since that realization from 32,000 feet in an airplane, each connection I made with a person that day ran smoothly, open, inspired and grateful ~ and with lots of laughter.

I am thankful that God delivered a message, with love, to me. I am grateful that I received an inspired moment in time that affected the rest of the hours of my life!

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