Serendipity

I was at the airport the other day---oh, you've heard this one? It's a different spin, I promise. This is about appreciating where you are, because you never know what sort of fortunate accidents will take shape around you.

I woke up at 2 AM Tuesday for my 5:30 AM flight from BWI to Augusta. I was able to log almost a full day on site, but on the turbo prop from Augusta to Charlotte (where I happened to be the only person on the plane that did not have a baseball cap, a polo shirt and a penis since the Masters' were in town) exhaustion hit. Once we landed I regrouped and sprinted across the Charlotte airport to my gate, only to find that the plane to BWI had not even arrived yet. Once it did, there were mechanical troubles. Once those were fixed, the crew timed out (the FAA allows them to work only 15 hours. Having worked 18 at that point, I was not sympathetic).
So, we had to de-plane. Of course, I was behind the man with the too-big-for-the-overhead suitcase, so by the time I got to Special Services, I was pretty much the last one in line.
If you have ever met me, you would know that I do not like to be the last in line. So, rather then throw myself on the ground kicking and sceaming, I called my travel agent. There was nothing she could do without charging me, but slyly suggested that rather then wait in line to potentially get assigned to the 10:45 flight to BWI, I get myself to the gate for the 9:10 DCA flight. It was 8:40 at that point.
This is where my luck began to change. At the start of my mad dash, I came across a US Airways club. Since I had taken the time to track down my club room card that very morning, I was able to burst in and obtain a seat on the DCA flight. No line! I obtained the very last non-center seat! But, I still had to get to the other side of the airport . Again. I started my sprint. Serendipitously, I was wearing sneakers. The only appropriate shoes I'd had that morning to go with my sweet southern outfit were 4 inch heels, so I'd packed the New Blances.
I ended up passing my actual gate, D1, to go to D10, but I made it back to the correct gate in time to board my row. Whew! I had just enough cell phone power to let Kevin know my fligt plan had changed.
The night was not a complete loss. Harry would have been asleep by the time I got home anyway. Plus, I'd actually had some time in the book store to learn Rebecca Wells had written another book. Ya-Yas in Bloom. This had me thinking some pretty pink and blue thoughts, but I was still pretty cranky, especially when I got to the cab line at Reagan National and found they were in "inefficient mode." Inefficient mode would be when all of the cabs load on one side of the airport, ignoring the line I am in. Inefficient mode would when the dispatcher allows the two peopel behnd me to get into DC cabs and there is not an Alexandria cab to be found. No, it's not all about me...maybe a little more than usual when I am cranky...mostly it is about being fair. Being tired makes my brain stick, and rules and fairness become the order of the day.
To make matters worse, when I finally do get in the cab, he talks to me. THE WHOLE TIME. I'd been awake for 21 hours at this point, I did not want to talk. Instead I listened and politely nodded. It seems the driver, Moe, an Indian man educated in England, was laid off from his job as a flight engineer, a job that paid him half a million when he was doing contract work. Seems computers had taken over the field. He's been interviewing, but was doing what he could to pay the bills.
The next day, Moe picked me up at precisely 11:00 AM to take me to find my car at BWI. We got to chat a little more along the way. He is an interesting man. He has a reasonably thick accent, which was especially hard to understand with all of the windows in the car down, but I followed along fairly well.
As he got to talking, I began to appreciate the conversation more and more. It was a beautiful day, I got to relax for an hour, and was able to enjoy good conversation from an interesting person. All that was missing was a cup of coffee!
Moe has four kids. Mostly grown. All but one went to college on scholarshp. The youngest is currently serving in the military. The oldest is finishing his residency as a reconstructive plastic surgeon. Moe helps him out as much as he can.
He showed me three "love letters" from Mercedes Benz. It seems he know longer has the car, but still owes $20,000 on it. He has decided he can only pay for what he can pay for. He still flies all over the world on interviews. Flights are free but the hotel bills are getting expensive. He goes to work every day beginning at noon, but has offered to pick me up any hour of the day, even at 3AM to go back to BWI on the 29th.
He decided it was important to prioritize. His children are not a burden to him, but he helps them as much as possible, including buying expensive equiptment for his son the surgeon. His son does not ask for these things, but they are things he needs. It is Moe's choice to buy them.

Moe told me another story about how you shoudln't mess with nature. If you do not respect its rules, it will come back and get you. When you are in a hurry, the worst thing you can do is rush. It sounded like your basic story from the wise, old Indian man. He talked about Buddhist monks who have their hair ripped out the first time, before it is later shaved, so that they can experience suffering and learn that the rest of life is so much easier. He talked a bit about Einstein's theories. I don't know enough about physic to recite which ones.
His point: when you are rushing to get somewhere, write down your parking spot so you don't spend two days searching for your car!
Interesting moral! We had a good laugh about it. And then he asked me if I had my car keys!

Luckily, i did. I beleive in karma, and I don't mess with nature whenever possible. I have forgotten things enough times to know I'd better double check.
Moe's story was a good reminder though. It seems he had once been in a hurry, and had once spent two days in a parking lot in Germany walking up and down each aisle, lookingfor his car.

I thanked Moe for the conversation. He thanked me as well, even more sincerely. I think he was relieved to be able to talk about his problems. I promised to call him for my future travels.
Had my flight not been delayed, I may not have found my Ya-ya book.

I may not have been reading my email at 11:45 PM to get a message from ANdrew reminding me to register for the Marine Corps Marathon at midnight. I did it. I got in! I may have been still traveling to BWI, or stuck in Charlotte. I may not have seen my baby the next morning.

I may not have met Moe. I may not have found a new local driver. My old one has disappeared, and since seeing a rat in the parking lot last week at DCA, I have been reluctant to leave my car there.

I was able to enjoyd good conversation, which I don't have much time for these days.

Moe suggested I take a new route back home, using 395, which I usually avoid. It was quicker, and prettier. I was able to see the cherry blossoms, which I probably would have forgotten about again this year,until it was too late.

Moe was able to get a couple of nice fares. A trip to BWI is not chump change! Perhaps he also gained something from the conversation. Perhaps more goodwill will go towards his son, the surgeon, who will complete his education and join Doctors Without Borders, helping children in the third world recover from facial disformities.

I started to think on the way home about how I could relate this for Harry. Perhaps the advice I can realy for the future is to do just what he is doing right now, enjoying the moment. It is important to plan for the future, but also to get the most out of today.
A good friend of mine, Claudette, and I were talking a while back. We both think we are reasonably care feee, spontaneous people. We are both up for a good roller blade at a moments notice on a Tuesday afternoon. Her sister, Sue, a very reasonable woman, pointed out to Claudette that she is the least spontaneous person she has ever met. Perhaps some would say the same about me. But the thing is, we find if you plan well, you are able to get the most out of life, and to some extent, better able to live in the moment. Life truly is about the journey, and not the destination, but when you have completed your travels, don't you want to have had the best journey to look back on?
Kevin has mentioned in a previous blog that we have big plans for Harry. When I mentioned that my biggest plan for him is to be happy, Kevin disagreed. He thinks I want more from him. I think what I want is for him to get as much as he can out of life, and never settle. I want to provide him with the opportunities to know what he wants. I also want these things for him:
* To live a life without regret.
* To learn to do a standing back flip
* To have purple hair (for a short time).
* To listen to people, to hear their story, to learn from them.
* To be kind to his grandparents.
* To think for himself.
* To stop and see the cherry blossoms.
* To write down his parking garage number.

I am enjoying kmy journey...most of the time. I could only do that back flip on a trampoline. My hair has been green, but only from chlorine. There are a couple of peopel I could have been kinder to. I don't like to talk about it, but I try to learn from it.