People plan, god laughs!
The flight from Norfolk, VA, to Little Rock was delayed by about 90 minutes. Dang! I could have slept another hour. But alas, it is what it is, nothing to do but to surrender. My Son-in-law hesitated, feeling uneasy about leaving me unattended at the airport. He nervously repeated, “Just stand in that line,” pointing to the sign: Customer Service. “They’ll help you.”
“Yes,” I nodded, smiling to let him know I was okay with the situation. Clasping my luggage’s handle, I said softly, confidently, “I’ll be fine, promise. And if there’s an issue, I’ll call you.”
The line was long, and after about ten minutes, my legs and back began to ache. I was on the verge of a mini-meltdown, my guides whispering, “Surrender. It will be fine. Let go and let it be.” I closed my eyes, took three or four intentional breaths, and allowed my body to relax.
Just then, out of nowhere, a soft-spoken, middle-aged woman appeared. “Hi, my name is Myra. Can I help you?” Instant relief flooded over me. “Yes, can I get a wheelchair?” I asked, trying not to sound too desperate. “I’m unable to stand for very long,” I began. We requested a wheelchair, and I’m unsure how to obtain that.”
She immediately acquired a wheelchair and moved me from the customer service line to the priority passenger line. She spoke for a moment with the woman behind the desk. Turning back to me, she said, “An assistant will be here in a few moments and take you to the gate.”
And just like that, she was gone.
While waiting to board, I was delightfully entertained by the antics of an exuberant 3-year-old girl with black eyes and thick curly hair done up in pigtails. Her name was Olivia, and she was dressed in short blue coveralls and a white tee. She danced around the waiting area, showing us her cute little blue pull-along backpack carefully explaining how to pack and unpack each item. Then Olivia introduced us to Bluey, a blue stuffed puppy with pointy ears who apparently loves to tickle and be tickled.
Olivia’s conversation was a constant stream. She asked endless questions: What’s your name? Where are you going? Do you have kids? Where are they? She never stopped to hear the answers but moved on to telling us more about the various objects in her backpack: her tablet, where she watched her favorite movies. Olivia also showed us a collection of storybooks. She had books about the adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland, in addition to multiple stories about pigs, bears, and bean poles. I was grateful for the distraction.
Boarding
I was the first to board, which gave me time to settle into my tiny window seat, take out my phone and laptop, and stow my backpack. A young man slid in next to me, trying to squeeze into the tiny middle seat. “Don’t mind my elbow,” I said jokingly. He smiled and sat down without a word. He was tall and muscular with broad shoulders—too big for the allotted space, literally oozing over the edges of his seat!
We were squished but somehow managed.
The space proved too small to work on my laptop, and there needed to be a more comfortable space to write in my journal. “Surrender,” my guides again whispered. After another deep, intentional breath, I returned the tray to its upright position and wriggled about enough to successfully place my computer back in my bag.
“Okay,” I ask myself, “Now what?” Then I remembered the book I wanted to finish. I opened my phone, kicked back as best as possible, and clicked on the Kindle app. The app opened right up to where I left off.
Dark Fire is an incredibly well-written book by Elisa Robyn. The main character, Tamra, is a single woman who owns a restaurant and bar in Denver. And, she does some sleuthing on the side, my kind of woman! One night, a mysterious man meanders into the bar, sits at a table and orders a drink. When she brings his drink, he quietly introduces himself as Count. He is irresistibly handsome, and Tamra is immediately drawn to him. But, like in all good stories, there’s a slight twist: she suspects he may be a vampire.
Oh, and did I mention that Tamra has a pet octopus?
And so the adventure begins.
Dark Fire is an extraordinarily well-written story that will keep you enthralled. You won’t want to put it down. Elisa is a phenomenal writer; her storytelling is superb.
So, here I am, chillin’ as best as possible while being crammed into my seat between the window and Mr Muscle. I was so enjoying the book, just getting to a juicy part when it happened–my device died. And I had no way to charge it! Double dang!
At this point, I seriously considered screaming at the top of my lungs while ripping out my hair, but instead, I sighed loudly and laughed.
“Okay,” I whisper in my best trying-not-to-sound-annoyed voice. “I get it. Nothing to do but to surrender.” And that is what I did. I Sat back, closed my eyes, did some deep, intentional breathing, and let it go.
I could hear my beloved Craig giggling, “People plan, god laughs.”
The rest of the trip to Dallas and then to Little Rock was uneventful. The airline and airport staff were kind and happy to help in any way they could. The delay in my original flight was annoying. Like I said, I could have grabbed another hour of sleep. But my practice of staying present gave me the spaciousness needed to go with the flow. Instead of being upset about something I had no control over, I chose to breathe and look and listen to the sights and sounds of the airport. Children playing, laughing, whining, parents shushing, bitching, moaning, talking, cell phones ringing, and the endless announcement warning not to take firearms through security check-in.
Lots of juicy tidbits for us writers.
Little Rock
Here, I meet up with a dear friend I’ve known for 50 years. Late afternoon finds us sitting on the porch, drinking wine and chatting. Then she produces a splendid meal of butternut squash soup and Waldorf salad, which is incredibly delicious.
After more talking and sharing and our food has properly settled, I took a long soak in the hot tub—ah, so relaxing. This, followed by a cup of Sleepy Time tea, left me delightfully limp and ready for bed.
The day’s exhaustion set in sometime between wine on the porch and the tea. I’m so tired I can’t focus enough to read or meditate. I lay down on the bed, and the next thing I know, it is morning, and her sweet black Lab, Luna, is nudging me awake.