Friday, December 30, 2011

Lesson learned ... I hope

It all started while my child was airborne, en route to Tucson ... connecting in Denver to the flight that would take her home.  No, it all started when she decided to wear her pajamas on the plane, figuring that she would just fall into bed once she arrived home at midnight.  Yeah, that's when it started.  No, actually it started when she decided to fly home during a bad snow storm in her connecting city...  Maybe it just all started in Denver.

It continued when she decided not to carry her luggage onto the plane and would check it instead, thus giving her time to just kick back and relax and not worry about her hands being full. 

In any case, there were some lessons to be learned here.

1.  DON'T FLY IN YOUR PAJAMAS.  If you do, you'll almost definitely wind up in a strange city that's hosting a blizzard at that very moment... without your clothes.

2.  DON'T LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER.  If you do, you'll find yourself running like crazy to catch a connecting flight... that has already left... and you'll just have to return to your original gate... which is now closed because no more flights are arriving/departing there... where all of your fellow stranded passengers have now left, presumably onto greener pastures.

3.  DON'T LISTEN TO THE UNITED AIRLINES CUSTOMER SERVICE DESK.  If you do, you'll take the overhead train out of the airport to the courtesy shuttle to the hotel... and wait for the second stop to get off.  Even if there IS no second stop... and the first stop announces that it's the last stop.  And you'll find yourself in some strange hole, facing a freight elevator... with no one around.  No, do not listen to them.

4.  DO LISTEN TO MEN NAMED JOHN.  They will be your only ticket out of the hole with the freight elevator... when you scream for help... when the lights go out and the stupid train shuts down and goes to sleep for the night.

5.  DO ENJOY THE STEAK MEAL you are having right now... in your hotel in Denver... while I sit here and wish like crazy I was with you.  Not because I want steak.  But because I hate that you're alone in a strange city... in just your pajamas... with all of your worldly possessions headed to Tucson... without you.

6.  DO LOOK AT THIS AS AN ADVENTURE.  Because it is.  It's just one of a million still coming your way.  And you are stronger now because of incidents like these.

7.  DO KNOW THAT YOUR PARENTS LOVE YOU and have been a bit worried about you during this little bump in your road.  But not too worried.  Because we know and knew that you'd figure it all out.

See you in June.

Sigh.
.

3 comments:

Bonnie said...

Also

DON'T LISTEN TO YOUR ROOOMMATE who also tells you to run like hell to the next gate. She is also wrong and feels bad that you had to run across the airport for no reason.

**correction** DON'T EAT THE STEAK MEAL that you are enjoying in your hotel UNTIL you find out what's in that seasoning.Otherwise you make the next few hours before your plane lands a sad time because you're dizzy and may or may not have ingested our foe, gluten.

Siss-a-bis said...

Goodness. So many things to remember...

ECK said...

Ooh wait, I has one...

DO FAIL TO TELL YOUR BOSS YOU HAVE ARRIVED IN TUCSON, thus giving yourself the entire day off to spend eating In N Out with the happy roommate who received you and unpacking like a good little traveler.