I hope all is well with you and your families. As I sat down to write this post and I was a shocked to see that the last time I had written was a little over a year ago! Where has the time gone? So much has happened during this past year. I have tried many new things and I have learned a lot. I am excited to see what experiences and opportunities 2017 will bring!
I was inspired to write this post because of an experience I had yesterday in the Orlando airport. I arrived at 7am then rushed off to my gate. I arrived, boarded the plane, and found my seat. Soon the plane was filled and we were preparing for takeoff. After some time, the captain came over the speaker and we were told that there was a mechanical issue that would prevent us from leaving so we had to return to the gate. As you can imagine, this upset many people on my flight. I could hear people all around me grumbling and complaining.
I exited the plane and got in line to change my flight since I would be missing my connection. I could hear some adults behind me saying sarcastically "Well this is a great way to start the year!" Instead of joining in, I tried to think of three positive thoughts as my mom has always taught me to do when something doesn't go as planned. I thought to myself:
- They found the problem before we took off. If they hadn't, it could have led to bigger problems
- The sun is shining so the weather won't interrupt our future flight
- I have a Dunkin Donuts breakfast bagel from Papa in my backpack so I won't starve :)
I soon got my new boarding passes and then sat and waited. I watched as the departure time slowly increased. First it was 11:30, then 12:00, then 12:30 and so on until it jumped to 5:30. Everyone rushed in line to change their flight plans. By this time I could feel how angry the people around me were so I put in my headphones and listened to some happy music while I waited my turn. I soon turned it off though because I noticed the mom in front of me struggling with her daughter. The things she was saying to her little girl made me very sad. Finally the mother sat her daughter on the ground and said "Have a temper tantrum on the floor. I can't do this anymore." As the girl started to cry, I wanted to help but I didn't know what to do.
Suddenly, the sweetest grandmother came over to talk to the little girl. The warmest feeling hit me when I saw her smile. She offered the child a cookie from her purse and asked her what her name was. When she replied the woman said, "I am going to visit my granddaughter who has that very same name!" She then told the mom she would hold her daughter while she waited in line. The little girl quieted down immediately and was soon sleep in the grandmother's arms. Her kindness surprised me and I actually started to get tears in my eyes while I was in line.
I have seen many posts online about the terrible things others have done. Many people believe the world is full of hate. I disagree. There has to be an opposition in all things. There is good in the world if you look for it. As my Mom taught me, you have to "look for the blue". It all has to do with your perspective. For example, if you were to sit in a room you may passively glance around the room not really seeing anything. But if someone were to ask you to look for the blue in the room you would suddenly see things you never saw before such as a blue sock, or a blue stripe on a book cover. I believe there are many kind people in the world.
If we treat others with kindness, it will be returned. I saw that as I made my second flight change. The mother I spoke of earlier never made it to the front of the line and ended up leaving angry and upset. When it was my turn to fix my flight, I greeted the woman at the counter with a smile and told her where I was going. She quickly got me on the right flight and arranged a hotel room for me for the night because I would not be able to make it back to Hawaii like I had planned. She also gave me two free meal vouchers to use in the airport. I was happily surprised and very grateful.
As it turned out, there was another girl on my flight in Orlando who was traveling to Hawaii. We were both able to get to California and help each other find the hotel provided by the airline. Another small blessing.
Although this is a situation I would have rather avoided, I have learned how to be brave and do things out of my comfort zone. Even though it has only been a little more than 24 hours, this new year has taught me a lot about the person I want to be.
I think the moral of this story can be summed up with a quote from one of my favorite princesses, "Have courage and be kind".
Wishing you all the best in the coming new year!
♥ TTFN, KARISSA
