Whew!

Well, kids, I'm back from a whirlwind tour to Omaha. Flew up on Thursday morning, back last night and finally hit my own pillow around 2 a.m. Whew!

This trip firmly has me convinced the universe is searching for balance. Thursday morning at the Orlando Airport was one of the most miserable travel experiences I've ever had. The customer service escort simply would not communicate with me. First, I was told we had to check in at the counter inside due to Carson (big fat lie). I asked repeatedly why, only to be blown off, ignored, etc. When I finally got some answers from another airline employee, he apologized and said, "We try not to discriminate." I assume he was referring to the fact the escort was a non-native English speaker. Frankly, we had no trouble communicating verbally - he just simply wouldn't say anything! I'll refrain from continuing this BMW session and get to the point about equalling everything out.

The escort asked me to wait in the middle of the terminal while he assisted a gentleman using a wheelchair to his gate. I stood, waited, waited, waited... oh, and then waited. Finally, another passenger approached and asked if I needed help. I told him I was flying to Chicago, but my skycap had dissed me. Turns out, this passenger was also on the flight to Chi-Town. We walked together and got to plop down with minutes to spare onto an overbooked flight (note to airlines: STOP selling more tickets than you have seats! This ain't rocket science!)

By the time the uncomfy ride actually reached the Windy City, I was no less miserable than when we'd left Orlando. And yet? The universe balanced things again! In Chicago, a passenger sat down in the next seat, introduced himself and we immediately started chatting. Turns out, he's a fundraiser for St. Peter Claver, Cristo Rey High School and helped the very school where I was speaking get it's start! Not only did I have a great seatmate, but I got educated on where I'd be speaking (inside info never hurts!)

It seems like every time something bad happens, the possibility of something good happening always comes up. Maybe the Rolling Stones were right: You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you'll find, you get what you need.