Pick a Lesson. Any Lesson.

Jun 23, 2019

Not sure what I was thinking when I booked my flight to Colorado today. Departing at 6:10 AM made for quite an early morning. Luckily, I got a window seat in the very first row with an open middle seat and plenty of leg room ready to settle in for my quiet take-off to touch-down nap. [Love Southwset Airlines.] As it turned out, the trip was not quite as uneventful as I had hoped.

The adventure started with a full flight and the middle seat of my row getting taken by what appeared to be a linebacker. As he squeezed in, I tried to give him as much armrest room as I could, but he still didn’t fit in the space allotted. As I recall, my eyes were closed about one minute before he rang the flight attendant call button. “Do you have an airsick bag?” he asked sheepishly.

I will spare you the details of what the front of the plane experienced over the course of the entire two-hour flight, but let’s just say, it wasn’t pleasant. “Did you have any alcohol last night?” asked the flight attendant at one point. “Yep. Apparently way too much. Guess it didn’t help that I’m getting over the flu.” he replied.

This post could be about how sometimes we have to let natural consequences serve as the best teacher. Or about showing more empathy rather than judgment, knowing we have all made poor choices like this young man. Or perhaps it is about being thankful for our health that we too often take for granted. Personally, this experience made me thankful for wisdom – in a different stage of life, beyond my younger foolish years. Sometimes the best lessons we learn come from our own “ah-ha” moment. So, I’ll choose to differentiate and let you decide the one that speaks to you the most. Happy Sunday.

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