POW!...
Just when I started thinking my morning was getting complicated, I get smacked in the face with a dose of reality.
I'll start from the beginning (nutshell version)...
Heading to LAX. Early dawn flight. Worked late. Procrastinated packing. No sleep. Flying standby. Reservation issue. VERY rude United employee. Delta cures all, but 6 hour delay.
And here's where the life lesson comes in...
I managed to sleep the entire leg from Austin to Atlanta and woke up to the plane landing (abruptly jerking me out of snooze-ville). Still groggy, I started thinking back to that rude employee and cursing the fact that I missed my non-stop and now have to spend 6 more hours on a plane. Then my neighbor lifts the window shade and we see it. The American flag with a soldier in full uniform waiting next to it. And it hits us. That soldier is waiting for a body. A soldier's body that has been below us this entire flight.
I'm instantly humbled when I think about the family and friends who will receive that body later today. Suddenly those 6 hours stuck on a plane feel more like a gift rather than an inconvenience. Heck, even the screaming baby two rows behind me doesn't sound as ear piercing.
OK Travel Gods, I hear you and I'm listening, ever thankful. Life is good. :)