Sometimes you need to work for those good moments

Today the Universe laughed at me and said: “Yes, today will have many good moments but you’ll have dig deeper to find them. This gratitude you talk about; today, it’s going to come from learning patience and then you’ll get your reward: more beautiful memories."

So let’s get the lessons out of the way....

1) I was sent to the wrong terminal for my flight to Casablanca.

2) My bag was overweight (but it was heavy leaving home). I took stuff out. I looked like a hobo.

3) My flight was tail swapped in the craziest fashion! For my non-aviation friends, a tail swap is where they switch flights and crew onto different aircraft, generally last minute. Sometimes you're boarded, sometimes not. In my case, we weren’t on board. But the tail swap meant having your boarding pass scanned and then going downstairs, onto a shuttle bus and being driven around the airport to, well, God only knows where. 

4) The result of the road course was that, while all the people made it, only half the bags did. 

Guess whose bag was missed? OK, let’s counterpoint all of this.... 1) Yes, I truly ran an airport marathon but I gave myself lots of time so I could adjust accordingly. And, I got all my steps in.

2) Yes, my bag was overweight but I know the rules, Air France was super kind to me and that’s cool.

3) Yes, this crazy tail swap was incredibly weird; however, I was flying standby and I was confirmed into a seat — an exit row aisle seat! Score!

4) Yes, my bag was delayed. And the attitude was one of indifference. But I was told my bag would be in on the next flight and so I opted to wait for it. And it arrived. So there’s the learning and the flip of the lens. Was I frustrated? Hell, ya. But if I wanna travel, I gotta know not everything is going to be wonderful all the time. Now let’s talk about my absolute favourite moments of the day: the gifts I got in return. These will blow your socks off. First one: I brought a small bag of Ferraro Roche for the gate agent of my flight. When I went up to her to see if I was cleared, I got the most incredibly amazingly beautiful smile. She gave me my boarding pass and I gave her the chocolates and said thank you and her laughter rang out. She did a little dance and thanked me repeatedly. It felt good to give her a little love. Next one: I had brought a couple boxes of chocolates for my flight crew. I’m not sure if they get acknowledged or not but they sure were grateful for the gift. That crew busted their asses that flight: maxed out bin space, people not wanting to sit where they were supposed to, etc. And then they had a medical situation to deal with, on top of it all. They still smiled. They still did a great job keeping the cabin in a positive mindset. And each one of them made a point of saying thank you. It felt good to give them a little love. Ready? I seriously sat beside the most entertaining lady on that plane. Man, she’s cool! Her name is Malika and she informed me that means Queen in Arabic. Oh, and she also told me she is one. Some of our chat was serious. She told me she’s been to Mecca twice with her Mom but lots of our chatter was fits of giggles. She kept apologizing for her English but my French is no better and yet we managed to talk the entire way (much to the chagrin of her husband). And as we stood around waiting for our bags, she insisted it cost too much to take a cab into town and she and her husband would drive me. I ended up waiting for my bag and they didn’t, so I did cab into town but the offer was genuine and I was so humbled by it. It felt good to give love and get love. I’m also thinking about changing my name to Malika. The last impactful encounter I had today was with two young Canadian women also here for a Moroccan tour. One is an emergency department doctor and the other an intensive care unit nurse. They’ve both travelled solo for awhile and together other times. They are confident young women who are curious to experience the world around them and all it has to offer. They were such a pleasure to connect with. I love that the future of women — especially Canadian women — is in good hands with ladies like these. My delayed bag tag reminds me everyone and everything I encountered in my travels today. My room service meal reminds me to be grateful to be on a trip, enjoying room service and relaxing while I reflect on my day; one that many people may not have the opportunity to experience. The photo on this post is my first true look at the Casablanca moon from my hotel balcony. It’s the same moon I see at home and that reminds me that all of the people I’ve met and all the people I’ve yet to meet. We are just that: people. And I’m so blessed to have moments with them. Much love from the Girl Under the Casablanca Moon.