Patience

I was in DIA this afternoon/ late morning, sitting on the plane ready and excited to be in Tennessee at camp. The plane had not left the gate yet and it had already been an hour. I had a connecting flight in Charlotte that was scheduled to leave at 6pm but clearly I was not going to make that connection. Stressed and frustrated at the fact that there was nothing I could do to get this plane off the ground, I heard a small and quiet voice deep within me that said "slow down." In a panic, I get off the plane in Charlotte and join the many others on my flight who missed their connections to find out if I can get on a different flight to Tri-Cities Airport in Bristol, TN. Ticket in hand I call the girl picking me up at the airport to let her know that I would not be taking off until 10:30pm and will arrive in Bristol at 11:30. Almost in tears from frustration, I get off the phone with my Dad and that voice appears once more, "slow down." I take a deep breath in. Slow down. I was so ready to get on with my life that I barely got to enjoy the time with my family and friends as they celebrated my graduation. I barely got to enjoy my graduation myself. It is hard to slow down when there are so many things I am excited for but unless I take a breath, stop, and look around, I might miss what is happening right in front of me. The time spent in the Charlotte airport will allow me to process the fact that I just graduated from college and I should celebrate that! It will also give me time to recognize the holes in my heart left from the people whom I am leaving and will miss deeply. As I watch the sunset in orange Charlotte sky, the words echo in my head to "slow down" and enjoy the short time I have between chapters in my life. As one chapter ends and another quickly begins, the times I will have to sit and reflect will be few and far between. Thus, I will practice my patience and enjoy this layover as much as possible. E.