My Second Trip to Nowhere


Well, it happened to me again. I went to the airport, I sat on a plane, my flight was cancelled, and I ended up going nowhere except back home again.

And, just like the first time, I had a great trip!

So many good things happened even though my plans *seemed* ruined. Let's count them:
  1. My dad had had hip replacement surgery that morning and he was doing great.
  2. I was not mad at myself for wasting $30 on an Uber to a cancelled flight, since I hadn't been lazy and had taken the Metro.
  3. On my way to the airport, in the Metro, someone RECOGNIZED me! "Are you Jen Lourie?" "Yes, I am!" "I follow you on Instagram! I am going to read your book!" Um, that was AWESOME!
  4. While I was waiting to board, I got a DM on Instagram from a Dutch man who told me he loved my book! Aside from being completely psyched that a.) a stranger took the time to let me know he read and liked my book and b.) I had a reader in the Netherlands, after a quick look at his profile, I saw that he worked at one of the hotels I photographed while I was there and realized that c.) this photo sold me a book!! How cool is that?! (Thanks Instagram! Thanks hashtags!)


  5. Angus King, the Senator from Maine was on my flight and I got to say hi to him!
  6. The lady next to me on the plane was a.) super pretty and b.) super smart and friendly. It was, um, just a little validating that this postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard, who was in DC to speak at the National Defense University about nuclear non-proliferation, engaged with me on current events and politics. Yeah.
  7. When they announced that the flight was cancelled due to bad weather in Maine, I hopped right onto my *awesome* American Airlines app which makes re-booking the easiest.
  8. However, when there were seemingly no good flight options, I called and a.) didn't have to wait long on hold, b.) didn't have to explain who I was or that my flight was cancelled because they knew, and c.) the lady who helped me was really nice and booked me on the same flights for the following weekend before I even got back inside the airport. Yay for good customer service!! Side note: when I told my parents my flight was cancelled, my dad sent me this:


  9. I had to go to the baggage claim office to see if they could find my checked bag for me. I expected this to take an hour. It took two minutes. Yes!
  10. I didn't have to wait for either train on my metro ride back home!
  11. On top of all that, I a.) was prepared with my external battery so I didn't have to worry about my phone dying, b.) liked my outfit, and c.) had found some really good lighting for selfies (see above)! What more does a gal need?!
So, for all these reasons, once again, my flight getting cancelled turned out to be an awesome experience which filled with me with positive energy.

[I feel like this is not common?]

When I write a post, it is equally important that a.) there is a good story and b.) that the story has a good lesson.

The lesson here?

When the big things that are out of our control are not going right, we can look for the little things to be happy about. Remember a.) there is no point in getting stressed or upset about things we cannot control and b.) we have the capability to turn a negative situation into an awesome one with the right mindset.

Aside from my good attitude, what was the cherry on top to make this a good story?

When I was in the Metro heading home, my seatmate messaged me that she and "three guys" from the flight had decided to drive to Portland and did I want to join?

I thought that was so nice of her! I thanked her and explained I had already re-booked my flight. 


Yeah, my dad is not gonna let me hear the end of that.

The only thing that didn't work out, was that I was going to miss my family reunion, the original reason for my trip home (being with my dad right after surgery was a lucky coincidence). I was disappointed, but what could I do?

But no, in the morning, my determined mom saw that there was indeed a flight that night that hadn't shown up in the original re-booking options. So, I called American Airlines and they easily switched me so I got to the reunion after all! 

On my actual flight that did depart, I not only ended up with the whole row to myself but it was also one with extra leg room AND I was able to capture this:


Win. Win. Win. Win. Win.

The only loss? I didn't get to road trip with a Senator.

Happy summer travels!


If you like this post, please share it, like it, subscribe, comment on it and read my book!!

Available on Amazon and Kindle and Barnes & Noble!

Follow me on 

Comments

  1. That sounds like a great trip, or story of your trip! Im surprised that Im the only one commenting here on this! Do not many people know about this, and they only know about your Facebook and Instagram? Im a detailed person and while writing, but you are more detailed! I hope to someday be able to travel more (it's expensive) and have good things happen, even if seemingly negative things occur! :) :)
    - Bridget Held

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts