My phone rang at 4:57 this early morning.
I consistently and consciously turn off the sound before I crawl into my deep-slumber-nest. But this misstep was fortunate. It was from my daughter who was in a calm panic.
Her eighteen year old son's flight was supposed to leave at 6:00 a.m this morning, and last night at 11:32, it was canceled. They rescheduled him for tomorrow.
The nightmare we've only read about happened to us.
This wasn't just any old flight. It was the first of two that would take him to Ft. Lauderdale where he would join a group headed to Brazil to build a school in the remote Amazon.
What an adventure!! Connection, growth, hard work. What more could an eighteen year old need to broaden his perspective, expand his mind, and expose him to the goodness of humanity?
At 5:00 a.m, the experience seemed elusive. If we couldn't get him to Ft. Lauderdale on time, how would he get to Brazil? What if the itinerary didn't allow for a day-late arrival?
So many what-ifs.
Give it to Heavenly Father. Ask for a miracle.
By the time an airline representative answered "How may I help you?" mother and son had arrived at the airline counter and American Airlines had re-routed him with United Airlines which would get him to Ft. Lauderdale on time.
The trip was saved.
Once he was through security and waiting at the gate, once his mother had safely seen him off, we began to communicate via text. My first message was: "It’s not an adventure until something goes wrong,” said a seasoned traveler on his way to Patagonia on a commercial sea vessel.
And then a note sent just to him: A portion of travel is problem solving. I think this is in part why I enjoy it so much—though it can be a bit stressful. Travel teaches us to roll with the situation and make it the best.
To which he replies: Bars.
I follow up with: Stay alert, this may be only the beginning of changing circumstances...or rather...adventure.
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