Today, I spent the day -- once again -- in airports. Actually, it wasn't all bad. It's hard to complain (too much) about leaving home at the normal time, hopping on a plane, going to a meeting, flying back, and finding yourself home earlier than normal.
While the schedule was working out for me, God wanted to be sure that I knew my proper place. As I got on the flight home, the flight attendant announced that it would be a completely full plane. I found the first open aisle seat and took it. It wasn't until I sat down that I realized that I was sitting in the middle of a party of five. Mom, Grandma, and the two-year old were seated to my left. Dad and the four-year old were right next to me on my right. Where do you think they were going? Disney World, of course!
"Are you serious, God?" I asked. But, it was too late to get up and move. So, I hunkered down in my seat, cursed silently (I think), and prepared myself to gut it out. That's when the questions in my head started. Today is February 29th. It's Leap Day. Why isn't it a Federal Holiday? If we have to work, shouldn't we get an extra day's pay? At a bare minimum, if you have to sit next to a Disney-bound family on Leap Day, shouldn't you at least get compensatory time?
I had a lot of questions. I pondered them in my head (just like Mary, for all you New Testament readers). Before I knew it, the flight was over. I grabbed my bag and started to exit the plane. Then it hit me. The Disney family had been very well-behaved. No outbursts, no over-excitement, no loud-talking parents. I really couldn't find anything bad to say about them.
I guess it was good I'd worked on Leap Day. I'd learned something -- not everyone bound for Disney World is a pain in the butt. A simple lesson but one worth learning.