Expect the Best

Have you ever had an experience where a rule was changed or ignored to accommodate reality?  This past weekend my husband and I traveled to a warm spot and returned home through customs.  We had a tight connection to our next flight, and the lines were long and slow.  Knowing there was not one thing we could to do speed things up, we remained patient and told ourselves that all would be well, whether we made the plane or not.  In reality, this was the last flight to Minneapolis that night and we both had to work the next day.

Once clear of customs, we sprinted through the airport to the security line, which was also long, slow, and impossible to speed up.  Another sprint to the gate through the very big busy airport.  Wheeling my suitcase, clutching my travel purse, I ran until out of breath, and then reminded myself that there was no time to rest, and started up again flat-out sprinting.

When we arrived at our gate, another couple was pleading with the gate agent to let them on the plane.  The woman was literally crying—“I have to get home tonight.”  The agent shook her head. The door was closed, she had cancelled our reservations.  Brian went to the window and waved at the plane sitting at the gate.  He walked away.  The runway door retracted.

I went to the window and waved in SOS style. I didn’t stop until I could see the pilots looking.  Then I put my hands in a prayer posture, held up four fingers, waved some more, prayed some more, and held my arms out in supplication.  I kept doing this until I saw the runway door moving back toward the airplane.  Then I jumped up and down, clapped, and bowed to them.  The ticket agent hung up the phone, opened the door, asked for our tickets and we ran onto the runway.  Another attendant tagged our bags and told us to find any available seat in coach.

I walked onto that plane elated, beaming, and grateful. And out of breath.  We found middle seats. Our plane left on time. when we deplaned I was able to thank the pilot for letting us on.  “No problem” he replied. 

If I had stood in the window and given those pilots the finger or shaken a fist, the results might have been different.  I believe that appealing to the pilot’s good will and common sense helped me get what I wanted, and that life is more efficient and magical when we invite forth the best in others and ourselves.