Run run Rudolph!
There I was, on a generally calm and quiet Saturday morning, sidling up to my gate at SFO when I learned my gate had just changed from F17 to E9. With only 20 minutes until boarding.
(For those who are thinking, hey, E and F are right next to each other, maybe it’s right next door – NO, no it is NOT. They are different wings.)
Cue scene from Home Alone where the McCallister family sprints through the airport with “Run run Rudolph!” blasting in the background.
OK, suddenly not such a calm and quiet Saturday morning.
And I had done all the right things – everything was packed the night before, my snacks were ready, I got to the airport with an hour to spare before my boarding time and grabbed a giant cup of tea…my morning was made-in-the-shade.
But even the best planning can leave you sweaty and out of breath at your gate.
More and more, I realize that no matter how I plan or prepare, the things I dread might still happen. This is only a small, insignificant reminder…but a reminder nonetheless. I have long thought about planning and preparation as these external things (packing, leaving enough time for transit, etc.), but I’m starting to notice that the REAL planning and preparation might be the work I do, day in and day out, to manage my thoughts, control my breath, and stay loose in the uncertain and unknown moments in order to adjust to whatever comes along…because those are things that are, truly, always in my control.
Oh…and, it never hurts to wear running shoes at the airport…
