aye! i see you, october! happy new week, month, and last quarter of 2019 to you guys. so! i went on a SUPER COOL TRIP a week ago that i cannot wait to show and tell you guys about! deets coming! however, i almost let a small mishap squander a once in a lifetime experience in a matter of minutes. i missed my connecting flight back home monday night. ugh. me?? this kinda thing never happens to me. i’m not one of those people. i mean, it was a connecting flight. i was IN the airport for goodness sake. my previous flight was on time. everything was fine.

“i’m not one of those people.”

my last flight home was scheduled to begin boarding at 8:10pm according to my pass, so at 7:30ish when my previous flight landed, i figured i had just enough time to grab a footlong turkey sammich from subway for dinner before we took off. well, i was right. i made it to my gate at 8pm, sat down, and with people waiting directly across from me, i whipped that sucker out and went to town, lol. no shame! i was so hungry and realized i hadn’t eaten since 1pm. meanwhile, the guy at the desk was making a final call on the intercom for Houston to board.. and i was somehow so into my sandwich and texting my girifriends that i absolutely did not hear him. or wait, i heard him, but i wasn’t listening. his voice was just airport noise. i figured and trusted boarding would begin at 8:10 like my boarding pass stated. however, no, they closed the gate door at 8:10 and i literally watched my plane taxi away right in front of me, y’all🤦🏽‍♀️. tons of people were seated at the gate where i was and i figured they must have been waiting for the Houston flight too. so i was good! i finished eating my sandwich and relaxed. 8:10 came and went. 8:20. then 8:30. i thought to myself, “maybe my plane is just a lil’ late…no big deal.” the gate guy hopped on the mic and i just knew he was about to give us a status update on the Houston flight. “first call for Birmingham, Alabama.” is what he said instead. immediately the people around me began to stir and re-situate themselves as if they were about to stand up and catch their plane….cause they were😞! i scurried over to the desk and realized the monitor no longer said Houston. i was so embarrassed and disappointed at myself!!! i asked the desk guy what happened to the Houston flight and he told me, “ i called for Houston several times and it departed at 8:10 as scheduled.’ my face and heart DROPPED. i dreaded having to call Sonny and tell him not that i missed my flight, but HOW i missed my flight. i was sitting RIGHT THERE. gosh. as i wandered aimlessly for a few moments in disbelief, i finally attempted to call him. he answered immediately and i could tell i was on speakerphone. he and the kids were all in the truck wasting time until my arrival. i opened with, “Sonny, i just missed my flight…..” and proceeded to cry. the kids heard me crying and began to cry too😭. talk about pouring salt on the wound! i just kept replaying the plane reversing away in my head over and over again, knowing that i was supposed to be on that flight and almost home to my babies. i told Sonny i’d call him back once i asked the guy at the gate what i should do next.

“i dreaded having to call Sonny and tell him not that i missed my flight, but how i missed my flight.”

the gate guy instructed me to go down to the help desk, tell them what happened, and that they would put me on the next flight home. well, as i headed downstairs i noticed the wing i was on was eerily quiet. according to the monitors, there was only 1 more flight leaving Detroit for the evening around 10:30pm, and it was absolutely not headed to Houston. i got to the help desk and told him my dilemma, and of course he immediately, nonchalantely asked, “how did that happen?”. at this point i’m pretty sure he asked just for kicks and giggles, or maybe in hopes to hear a new story he’d never heard before, lol. he printed me a new ticket, put it on the counter in between us, and before i even picked it up, i saw 8:45am. …as in the next day. like what?! so what do i do now?? find a corner and sit/sleep in the airport for 12 hours? and my luggage! what if someone steals it since i’m not there to claim it? then i thought about having to call Sonny and tell him i would need to pay for a one night stay at a nearby hotel. Sonny leans a little more on the tough love side of things sometimes lol, but i know he was a bit let down his wife wasn’t coming home as planned.

have you ever struggled to see the positive or good in a situation? how do you stay focused on the good?

i absolutely struggled. i beat myself up so bad in the process. my attitude was less than stellar…and not one i would want my children to witness. let’s just say that was not the time to meet any social media supporters! i do remember having to check myself about not giving any attitude to the gate or help desk guys because they were just doing their jobs. i prayed for direction and instruction on what to do next and to not react out of pure emotion. i looked down and remembered that i was carrying my LV bag (i almost stuffed it in my suitcase while packing cause i didn’t want to carry it), Mac book air and my Nikkon digital camera in my tote bag. i thanked God neither one was in my suitcase and it gave me the peace of mind i so needed at that moment. that was one step in a positive direction for me! i then reached out to the people i knew would shift my perspective (i had been communicating with them all along anyway) and pull me out of the pit i was digging for myself. my brother absolutely pointed out the fact that complaining about a handful of hours is a waste of my time and energy. it happened. what else can i do except move forward at this point? the plane was gone. the kids and Sonny were fine. besides, we’re not talking days or weeks here, just a handful of hours, Leah. my hotel stay was comped thanks to a quick call to my travel host. would another night of uninterrupted rest and a break from my mommy duties really be that bad!? my girlfriends co-signed on those very reasons and didn’t just tell me things i wanted to hear, they told me the truth.

in the grand scheme of things, i had just finished an amazing, memorable opportunity with some crazy talented women i admire. missing my flight was my fault and a huge thorn in my side, but it was still a test…. that i feel i barely passed.

the true test of our character is not when things are upbeat and going our way, but when they are the exact opposite.

i was the first person at my gate the next morning. lol. i had plenty of time to read, think, and process the last few hours from a renewed, rested perspective. i had no desire to write, blog, or get on IG stories while it was happening because i knew i would prolly regret my words by the next day. well, you know what they say about hindsight! even on the short plane ride home i felt quite childish for feeling so devastated over something that unfortunately happens every single day, multiple times a day. hearing that didn’t make me feel any better at the time though! oh, and my luggage was waiting for me in the airline’s office as soon as i touched down🙏🏽.

i want to share some things i will strive to remember to do when faced with a less than desirable situation :

meditate on and BELIEVE Romans 8:28: all things work together for the good of those who love Him…. even if you just can’t see it at the time, and yes, even when you screw everything up
count your blessings and praise God anyway
lean on your trusted village
cry if you must…. but don’t linger there or give in to anger (James 1:19)
give yourself more grace
control the controllables….. (attitude & emotions toward yourself and others)
learn! (in my case- don’t assume! trust but always verify)
remember that i am, in fact, one of those people😂