Of Predictability

My boarding passes were printed. The line through security at the airport moved quickly. I made my way to the gate to await departure to Jacksonville, Florida (with a connection in Charlotte, North Carolina). The time for boarding the plane came and went. We received an announcement from the gate agent notifying us of a mechanical issue on the plane which was to ferry us to Charlotte -- a mechanic had been called and was on the way. No connections were in danger of being missed.

Then the time appointed for take off came and went. Twenty minutes more of waiting. The next announcement informed us the mechanical issue would take some time to repair. Flight cancelled. Rebooking on other flights would require us to trek to the ticket desk in the main terminal. And so, off the 50-60 passengers went -- hiking at various speeds and with varying degrees of humor. By the time it was all said and done, about half of us were shifted to other flights (and in my case another airline). Others were simply informed they would be resuming their trips the following morning.

The people who were the most distressed were the folks who had scheduled trips with such exactitude even a few hours' worth of delays would mean missing an important event (in one case, a grandson's graduation from college, in another case a major "deal"). From the vantage point as witness to their frustration, anger and disappointment, I could understand why they were reacting as they were.

The gift of air travel in this country is its reliability and predictability. Things work so smoothly the flying public often forgets the complexity of the operation. Schedules are honed to within minutes. Extra time is built into schedules to allow some cushion for the unexpected. And for the vast majority of travelers most every day, everything works perfectly enough to lull us into the false assumption that it all works perfectly ALL the time.

But airlines don't work perfectly all the time do they?
And neither does life.

We assume (to our own detriment) that we control the events around us. We operate as if we know, with certainty, what will take place three days or three months or three years in advance. Inherent in all of our to-do lists, goals, and planning (of the tactical or strategic sort) is the tacit denial of the unpredictable -- be it as minor as a change in our air travel schedule or as major as the loss of a job, our health, or a loved one.

We make our plans. We set our calendars. We do our best. But sometimes our only choice is to respond to whatever it is life brings us.

I noticed yesterday the people who seemed to take the glitches with the best attitude were the folks who were prepared for the unpredictable. They hadn't cut their calendars too closely. They had work to do while they waited. I even saw a few business travelers, put their feet up, take out cards from their brief cases and start writing (by hand!) notes to loved ones, business associates and prospects. I overheard one of them say, "Sometimes these cancelled flights are the greatest gift. It's like a mini-vacation from the pressure." In the middle of it all they were calm and of good humor.

The entire scene left me wondering about the way I greet my days. Do I assume I am in control and that my plans are immoveable? Do I overbook my calendar to the extent that there is no cushion for the unexpected? Do I forget to bring flexibility and humor to my work? Am I so busy with crossing things of various lists I become blind to the blessings that surround me on every side -- family, friends, good health, fresh air, clean water, shelter?

If I'm not careful, daily life can lull me into the mindless assumption that everything will go according to plan. Yesterday's airport adventures served as a timely reminder to the contrary. And those business travelers? They were my sages, teaching me to greet the moment as it comes, even when the moment which shows up brings with it the reminder "predictability" is, at best, unpredictable.

Sent from my iPad