This Guy’s Crazy
As I sat in the airport waiting area, we heard the first sign of trouble. āLadies and gentlemen in the waiting area, we are getting information now from Canada air traffic control that due to weather and traffic over Toronto, we are looking at about a four hour delay taking off this afternoon. Weāll keep you advised of any changes.ā My intuition and my travel experiences said that I might be in for a long evening in Detroit. And not much later, it came: āLadies and gentlemen in the waiting area, the flight to Toronto has been cancelled by Canada air traffic control. You will all be automatically rebooked. Please be patient.ā
Since I was near the desk at the gate I was able to speak with an agent who booked me on a direct flight the next morning, and I was considering where I might stay in Detroit that evening. Then the gate agent, in response less to my outwardly calm demeanor, and more in response to the meltdown of a passenger on my left, said these words seemingly to no one in particular, āYou know, most people donāt realize that renting a car and driving to Toronto from Detroit can be faster than flying.ā Challenge accepted.
I had nothing at all to lose by trying to convince someone to let me drive a car across an international border and leave it there. If I were unsuccessful, I would be in a hotel in Detroit for the night and fly out in the morning. The only difference would be I would have spent a little less time talking to rental car companies. But before I departed, I decided to make my own gate announcement to the forlorn gathered dejectedly there: āIām gonna try to rent a car and drive to Toronto. Anyone wanna come with me?ā
Now, if life were a movie, this would have been the moment when a plucky group of lost souls gathers to overcome their dilemma and make lifelong friends in the process. But life isnāt a movie. People just stared. One young man, if I wasnāt mistaken, shook his head at me in an almost embarrassed gesture of, āThis guyās crazy.ā
I understand him, really. I know there have been hundreds of times that someone has an idea, an invitation, a way of welcoming me, and I either didnāt understand it or I couldnāt be bothered. Who knows what kind of adventures, what kinds of stories, what kinds of movies my life could have had so far by saying āyesā a few more times to something that seemed surprising or different, especially when I didnāt have much more than an hour of my time to lose. Well, I donāt spend a lot of time thinking about chances I never took, but I know Iāll consider more seriously and with more humor the suggestions for adventure, difference, and creativity in the face of disappointment I find the in the future. Because when the credits rolled on this movie, there I was, flying solo in a Kia Soul, making a mad dash for the border, on an adventure I never saw coming.
And may it always be so.
Blessings,
Rev. T. J.
minister@unitariansofhi.org
I would have responded “yes!” to your offer. I live a rugged life. Enjoy your much deserved break.
Aw, you can’t leave us hanging there, T. J.! What happened after that?! Inquiring minds want to know! š
Eager to welcome you home;-).
Yes, T.J.! What āadventureā awaited you as you āmade a mad dash for the borderā in a Kia Soul?
Insightful story -generous heart responded to with cautiousness and a bit of fear. May we stay open and generous