Everything’s Coming up Roses

The flight took 10 hours.  That would have been terrific if I had been flying to India, but we took off at lunch and were expected to land within 3 hours.  I had plans for dinner!  But life had other plans:  7 hours of stuck-on-the-tarmac-delay, no food, crying babies, and thunderstorms all around.

I always ready myself for the opportunity to practice patience and acceptance when I board an airplane, but this tested even my limits.  Breathing deeply, I pulled out a tried-and-true gratitude restart:  the Glad Game.

I started with a few ground balls: “I’m glad I have water”, “I’m glad I’m not throwing up”, “I’m glad I’m not in a middle seat”.   And then knocked it into left field,  “I’m glad I’m not in pain”, “I’m glad I’m not trapped in turbulence”, “I’m glad we’re not making an emergency crash landing.”

In any challenging situation, we always have a choice:  focus on the weeds or focus on the flowers.   A little perspective does wonders when life throws a curveball.  I wasn’t happy to be delayed by 7 hours, but I sure was glad to be safe and alive.   

When you notice you’re not pushing up daisies, everything comes up roses.    

Peace, Ashley

www.ashleydavisbush.com