28 Days of Thankfulness - Day 18 - Surprises

I've been in Florida since Monday and it has been a stressful few days.  I left downtown Tampa much later than I planned. I had a 6:30pm flight. The clock on the car said 5:40pm as I pressed the ignition button. I still had to get out of the parking garage, fight Tampa traffic, get gas, return the rental car, check a bag, and get through security. It was seemingly the last flight that would get me home tonight, and it was going to take a miracle for me to make it on time. 

When I stopped for gas I got a text alert that my flight was delayed by 90 minutes.  That meant I was going to make my first flight but miss my connection. If my connection was also delayed, that would mean landing in Windsor Locks around 2am (been there, done that, and I'm already exhausted). I started mulling over the options of whether to stay in Tampa or Atlanta tonight. I decided that to wait until I got to the airport to figure out my next move.

I got to the ticket counter and there were three Delta employees and no customers. I walked up to one of the agents and told him it didn't look like I was getting home tonight. He asked me where I was going, I said Hartford. He smiled and asked me if I wanted to get home tonight. Of course I did, is that even a question? At this point I thought he was just messing with me. He handed me a boarding pass he had already printed. He booked me on another airline. He told me I had about 10 seconds to go check my bag or I would miss the cutoff. I sprinted to the US Airways counter, checked my bag, and I'm headed home. Just like that. To say that I am pleasantly surprised at how my evening turned out is an understatement.

I'm usually the one planning surprises for other people. I'm rarely on the receiving end anymore. Our lives are so planned out, that there is hardly room for the unexpected. In fact, we are encouraged to plan for the unexpected because it does not usually involve good news. I think that is why adults often hate surprises.

I have no idea why I got rebooked tonight. I've been stranded quite a few times, and this has never happened before. It was the highlight (at least so far) of an otherwise mediocre day. I'm usually pretty optimistic. Was I certain I wasn't going to make it back because I'm jaded or because I am realistic? I'm not sure. 

Tonight, I am thankful for surprises (the good kind), and that I'll get to sleep in my own bed, next to my husband, and wake up to hugs from my favorite little girl.