The Other Airport Miracle
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If you follow me on Facebook, you know that I recently crossed paths with my eldest son Trinidad in the Seattle airport, him flying south and me north ... both of us departing from Gate C20. What. Are. The. Chances?
I told you then that Priming for delightful surprise is a regular thing for me. I feel into the sensations of wowww for a few minutes every morning to jumpstart my system with joy. No caffeine needed. It stimulates the happy hormones and decreases cortisol. That's an obvious improvement over worry about the day.
But when I discovered that my 2nd of 3 flights would be delayed on the way home, it took me a minute to find my bearings. I would miss my 3rd flight, set to arrive in my hometown at midnight. After a small tizzy (about 4 minutes), I turned my attention to Priming.
I told the lady in the seat next to me that this seeming setback would end up working out most efficiently and memorably. I imagined looking back on this moment with wonder at how things had changed for the better when I least expected it. She got excited. Priming buddies are the best!
I called Alaska Air. No dice. They said I'd have to sleep over. Again, I recalibrated to my Prime. I didn't need to know how it would work out better, I just intentionally assumed it would. Do you have any idea how soothing this was to my nervous system? So much better than stressing. There was nothing different I could see to do anyway.
Meanwhile, I was enjoying everything around me and open to ideas about how I'd spend my evening. I was living out my expectation of the "best" moment by moment.
I meandered to my gate, 3 hours early, and happened to see on the board that the plane at that moment was leaving the gate for Portland. Had I been stressed, this would likely have not registered in my visual field. We see and hear less when stressed.
I walked slowly up to the desk and asked if I could board that flight. The woman shook her head no. The man beside her said maybe. I told them I was so grateful for the magic they could work, and I stepped away. I called my 21 year old son Sam and asked if he could drive 2 hours to retrieve me at 9 p.m.. He happily agreed.
Five minutes later, I walked through the gate and boarded that plane. I sat between 2 amazing women who inspired me and helped me with my work. I got home an hour earlier than anticipated with a $150 voucher for the third flight that never was.
And the best part was the 2 hour long date with my kid. It felt like 35 minutes. We feasted on bread, cheese, and hard-boiled eggs, trying not to spew them accidentally on the dashboard as we laughed, ranted, and learned from one another all the way home.
A better life starts in your imagination.
Epic Joy Week is coming, November 10-16. I'll be sharing free videos here on my Newsletter about how to jumpstart your own Priming practice. You can also register now for my free Joyful Life Reboot Workshop on November 10 or 16th here. These don't happen often. I hope to see you there!