It's your choice!
You made a choice.
Now you're thinking you'd like to change it.
But you can't.
You're in a plane that is taxiing onto the runway getting ready to take about 100 other people to their destination.
But you're afraid of flying.
You could name whatever situation you might be in after you made your decision!
So I told myself: You might as well make the choice to like it.
In other words, you made a choice and it's an appropriate one... so stop melo-dramatizing it and decide to dwell on the good things it can bring.
I don't always take my advice. But after I considered the option of focusing on what I might feel when crashing... I settled back in my seat and closed my eyes to relax.
It was a dark and quiet night…
It was a night flight and in the dark it was easy to relax... for awhile.
About two rows ahead of me was a young couple with two small children, a boy about 4 and a girl about 2 or younger. Neither child was enthused about staying in a seat or being held.
After the flight attendant kindly talked to the boy he settled in his seat. But the baby girl screamed and fussed and might have had an ear infection or something that led to a period of quiet desperation by her parents.
They traded turns holding her... feeding her... talking to her... standing in the aisle bouncing her...
You parents know the routine.
They were successful for short times.
Other times the rest of the passengers quietly kept their thoughts to themselves.
At the end of the flight…
I was relieved to get off the plane but I thought I'd like to share “a thought from a grandma” with the young couple.
Since we just happened to be walking off the plane together I commented as I was passing them: "Just remember: You will survive!"
They understood the meaning of my comment and immediately shared their frustrations with me. As we walked to the waiting area, the young wife said: I love them so much and I had thought I wanted another child - but not after this!
I smiled understandingly and the husband spontaneously agreed that two were enough!
As we walked to the entrance of the terminal they talked enthusiastically about their plans for the future, a new job... moving to another state, etc.
Then I saw my daughter waiting to pick me up and we separated.
A smile...
But I still smile as I hope that although I couldn't help with the problem of their crying child... I could help with their frustration.
And I wouldn’t be surprised to find out someday that they reconsidered and added another child to their family!
.
