Air Travel Builds Character

The lovely Robin and I left home early this morning for a journey to Sturbridge, Massachusetts via Detroit and Hartford. Our first leg, from Dayton to Detroit, was late but arrived in plenty of time to make our 2:01 flight to Hartford/Springfield. Except THAT departure is delayed until 5:35, making it a bit hard to keep my 6:30 speaking commitment tonight.

It's frustrating. But only someone who never or seldom flies would think it unusual. These days, when you pay for an airline ticket, you are not promised an on-time arrival--perhaps not even a same-day arrival. You can hope for these things, but if they do not happen, you can do practically nothing about it. You are virtually powerless to influence events. You can fume, pout, yell, and complain, but it won't do you any good.

There is only one good reason to fly somewhere: there is no realistic alternative. If the distance and/or timing does not allow you to go by car, bus, or train, then:
(1) surrender all illusions of control
(2) accept what cannot be changed (security, gate changes, flight delays, etc.)
(3) remember it's not the ticket agent's or gate agent's fault, no matter how frustrated you are
(4) use what resources you can to make delays and disappointments go down easier (such as iPad, Kindle, charging stations, apps like Gate Guru, etc.)
(5) entrust your schedule, safety , and agenda into God's hands. He may just use your delayed or cancelled flight for some good purpose--even if it's just to remind you that the world doesn't revolve around you.

In that respect (at least) air travel can be good for you...if not for your blood pressure.

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