Thursday, May 28, 2009

Roll With the Changes that Come Our Way

It often seems that when we make a plan, things have a way of getting changed out from under us.

I'm writing from the airport in Newark New Jersey. I'm in the midst of a 7 hour layover en route from Seattle to the middle east. If the trip had gone according to plan, I'd be in the air right now with 7 hours left to fly. As it stands, I have almost 4 hours before I fly, then another 10.5 hours in the air. My flight last night was cancelled (while I was driving to the airport).

In all my years of flying, I've never had a flight cancelled, so, this was a 'new' experience for me.

What was interesting about this to me was that I had originally wanted the schedule I'm currently flying. It wasn't available when I booked my trip. Aside from the inconvenience of heading out to the airport and having to turn around, the change was one that I had yearned for anyway! I did get an inferior seat on one of the flights I'm taking, but overall the schedule change allowed me to get an extra 5 hours of sleep in my own bed. To me, as much as I travel, that's never a bad thing!

Part of me felt like I *should* be upset. It was a disruption to the plan and it did cause inconvenience for a couple people, myself included. I chose instead to focus on the fact that I was happier with the schedule AND I was all packed, ready to go, and so there was nothing for me to do but go back home and enjoy some sleep that I would have otherwise missed. I guess that's a bit of looking at the 'glass half full' in the situation.

At any rate, we can enjoy life more if we decide to look for the good in the changes that come our way, instead of focusing on what we are losing, or what isn't happening the way we wanted it to. Perspective, perspective, perspective.

Soon I will be on the other side of the world! I'll get a dose of completely different perspective! For now, I have to just change the perspective inside my own head. We can all do that no matter where we are sitting!