A Story of Recovery:

A Turbulent Journey

After a conference, I had a 5:55 a.m. flight to get to my niece’s Sweet 16 celebration. I had my meals prepared the night before and all my bags packed. I figured if I left at 4 a.m. I would be on my flight in ample time. So I set my clock to 3 a.m. I woke up, prayed for an abstinent day, read my Twenty-Four Hours A Day book and took 30 minutes of quiet time.

At 3:45 a.m. I made my breakfast and began to load up the car. I ended up leaving at 4:15 a.m. On my way to the airport, I noticed I forgot to fill the tank on my rental car before drop-off. When I left the gas station, the time was 4:30 a.m. Now I’m getting nervous because I realized that I am cutting it close for my flight. So, time for the Serenity Prayer. I put my circumstance in God’s hands and trusted that God will have me where I need to be, either on that flight or a later one. I checked my bags curbside before returning my rental car. I was in so much of a hurry that I forgot to tip the check-in agent. So upon returning my car, I asked for a courtesy drop off at my airline, because I know they provide that service. But no one was available to take me. I caught the next bus to the airport which ran every 30 minutes. But God made it to where the bus was waiting for me to catch it. On the bus ride, God told me to tip the agent before going to the airline. I only had big bills, so I tipped the agent $20.00 and told him I was sorry for not tipping him. He said “That’s okay, but I have to say, you may not make that flight so I can’t accept this.” I said “No, regardless of the outcome, you were helpful to me, so take it.”

At the security checkpoint, by instinct, I picked the shortest line. When it was my turn to be checked in, the agent told me that this was the wrong line. I calmly went to the longer line. I got through security gracefully, thank you God, but the time was 5:45 a.m. and I still had to catch a monorail to my gate. When I got to my gate at 5:53 a.m. there was no one there and the place was completely empty. Then I spotted an agent and hollered out my flight number. She said, “Everyone is aboard now and the plane is about to leave.”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

“Aw, man!!”

Then she said, “Hold on.” She called the crew and said, “You got room for one more?” The crew said “Send them aboard.”

Then I said “Thank you, God!” and I said “Bless you!” to the agent who showed kindness in that moment.

I ate my abstinent breakfast on the plane and I made it to my niece’s Sweet 16 celebration on schedule, thank you God! But the recovery part was that I went through this whole ordeal with grace, calmness and a level of acceptance that I would not have had without my Higher Power and this program! Before, I would have been so upset with every roadblock and obstacle in my path. And I’m sorry but that curbside agent would not have gotten that tip.

Also, I learned my lesson. I learned to be at the airport two hours early for a scheduled flight rather than leaving two hours early.

That’s my turbulent journey to my destination!