“One of the most powerful things I’ve learned since getting sober is to love and accept life on life’s terms. Alcoholics have a hard time doing this; we’re little id-driven crybabies, guzzling and complaining about how nothing in this life goes the way we think it should. Accepting and even embracing the world as it is can be radical, and it can have powerful, positive results.” (Michelle Tea)
Just over a week ago now, I was embarking upon a trip to Northern Virginia to visit a few of my old friends I hadn’t seen in over a decade. As I entered the Detroit Metropolitan Airport and approached the ticket terminals to print my boarding pass, I was seriously dreading my flight, not because I don’t like traveling, but because my pain levels were through the roof. Once I had my boarding pass, I noticed my seat had been changed from the one I had booked months prior. I had purposely selected the seat I had because it was near the back of the plane near the bathroom, given I have the tendency to go frequently during a flight.
When I finally made it out to the gate where my plane was leaving from, I spoke to the agent there and asked about my seat. She said it had been changed because she was trying to accommodate a family that wanted to sit together. I was in my head, being selfish, and expecting the seat I had been changed to wasn’t going to meet my expectations, so I asked for my original seat back. After she re-printed my boarding pass with my original seat, I felt a ping from my Higher Self saying I really should accept the seat she had moved me to. After much reluctance and a quick fight between my brain and my heart, I told the agent I was sorry for being so difficult and said it was fine to put me in the seat reassignment she had. She was very grateful.
About 30 minutes later, I boarded the flight and headed to my new seat assignment. It was then I discovered I was in an exit row now with an incredible amount of leg room, something a 6’5” guy with chronic pain issues can find an extreme appreciation for! But what was even more interesting, was where I would have been sitting, where that family was now in one single row rather than across from each other, was also their baby, who cried quite loudly the entire flight. I would have endured not only very little leg room there, but a screaming kid for about an hour and a half!
I guess it just goes to show that acceptance can have powerful, positive results sometimes…
Gracious God, help me to love and accept life on life’s terms, rather than allowing my ego to always convince me otherwise…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
