Hello, Reader!

Have you ever been on vacation, sitting at the airport waiting to go home, and thought:

What if we just missed our flight?
What if we had to stay another night?
What if we got one more day here?

Maybe you've even joked about it as you were reluctantly leaving somewhere you really loved.

Well... Thinking and joking about it is one thing, but how we respond if it ACTUALLY happens is another.

Sitting on the plane, ready to depart St. Martin after a week of exploring at his own pace, Todd - the other half of Wander for Days - was thinking ahead to home, work and the next adventure less than a week away.

Then a few minutes stretched into a half hour, then an hour, then an hour-and-a-half. There were mechanical delays, the captain said. They were working on it. And then, they weren't. Flight canceled. That hypothetical wish suddenly came true.

But what then?

As the passengers deplaned and made their way to the terminal desk for information on rescheduling, there were all kinds of reactions. Some relaxed, go-with-the-flow. Some anxious and reserved. Some angry and loud.

Regardless of the response, the reality was the plane wasn't safe to fly and the next flight off the island wasn't until the following day.

Here's where things got interesting...

With really no other option, Todd embraced that extra night in a beautiful place.

American Airlines made arrangements for a hotel room (ironically at the hotel immediately adjacent to the one he'd just left), transportation between the hotel and airport, and a food voucher. An unanticipated wish come true.

Instead of treating the 24-hour postponement as an inconvenience, he decided to enjoy one more dinner at what had become his favorite restaurant (Astra) and invited a fellow stranded passenger who happened to be traveling solo to join him.

After a warm welcome from the restaurant staff he'd come to know during previous visits, the two of them enjoyed a good meal, recounting the day's events and sharing stories of family, travel and life.

Out of an inconvenience, a friendship was forged.

24 hours and another delay later

The rescheduled flight left St. Martin the following day as planned and everyone arrived safely in Miami where they went their separate ways to connecting flights home.

But home was still farther out of reach when once again a flight was canceled and rescheduled for the following day. That meant another hotel, another shuttle arranged by the airline, another food voucher, and another heaping helping of patience.

The next day Todd made his way back to the airport early, ready to be home. Then the messages started coming in...

The flight has been delayed, now leaving at 3:30 p.m...

Delayed again, leaving at 4 p.m...

Now leaving at 5 p.m... Now 5:30.

To say the novelty had worn off by then may be an understatement, but finally Todd boarded the final flight headed home.

"EZ does i(t). I am bless(ed)."

More than 48 hours after his planned arrival home, Todd finally made it. He could have been bitter and angry at the airline. Instead he was grateful to a captain who put the passengers' safety first and for the opportunity to experience a bit more island life.

The time in Miami wasn't an unexpected extra day in paradise. It was mostly just waiting. But even then, the necessary arrangements were taken care of.

The biggest thing he'd lost was time.

Scrolling through the photos from his trip, I came across the spray-painted sign above. "EZ does i(t). I am bless(ed)." And that's the part of this story that stuck with us both. Me, waiting at home, following along with all the delays; him, in the midst of it all, wishing to be home, but still feeling blessed to have had the opportunity to travel.

We don't always get to choose how the story goes.
But our attitude helps paint the picture.

The canceled flight could have been a miserable night.

Instead, Todd got one more evening in St. Martin, one more great meal, one more chance to say goodbye to some familiar faces... and a new friend.

Sometimes travel gives us exactly what we planned for.

Sometimes it gives us something completely different.

And sometimes, if we're willing and able to adopt that EZ does it attitude, we discover that the detour was part of the adventure all along.

Here's to finding the good stuff, even when the itinerary takes a turn. And to getting where we're going...

Eventually.

With love,

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