I had to chuckle when I remembered “C’est la Vie” means “That’s Life.” My sister, Gail, and I just had a very frustrating experience at the Tampa International Airport. Things did not go as we had planned, and now we were sitting at a French restaurant named “C’est la Vie” enjoying a delicious meal together. This wink from Spirit was not lost on us!
Gail needed to be home by early Saturday afternoon to pick up her grandchildren, so she booked a Friday night flight to allow for unexpected circumstances. Her flight to Syracuse had a connecting flight in Baltimore with not much time in between to change planes. We kept our fingers crossed that there would be no delays.
After printing her luggage tag at the self-service baggage kiosk, the screen displayed a flight delayed message. And so it began.
Gail asked the airline employee checking in bags if it was possible to make her connecting flight in Baltimore now that the flight was delayed. The woman told her absolutely not and immediately began searching for an alternative flight to get her to Syracuse. Her search turned up a non-stop flight the next morning, but unfortunately, that flight would not get Gail home in time. We thanked the employee and stepped away from the counter to discuss other options.
Not surprisingly, my Virgo sister had done extensive research on other flights to Syracuse before booking this one. She told me another airline had a flight leaving early the following morning that would get her home in time. Not only was it a non-stop flight, but it left from Sarasota instead of Tampa. Even though that meant waking up very early the next day, it would save us from having to drive an hour to Tampa, so she booked it.
Imagine our surprise when we returned to the counter and this new agent said Gail would make her connection and there was no need to rebook her flight. While we were discussing other options, somehow the flight magically moved up 5 minutes and was now within their window for making a connection.
I won’t bore you with the play-by-play of what happened next. I’ll just say there were multiple airline employees involved, an incorrect credit card number, internet connectivity issues, and a whole lot of miscommunication! The more we tried to get things resolved, the more obstacles arose. Since we were able to cancel Gail’s original flight, I suggested we leave the airport and sort the rest out later.
Thankfully, it’s a beautiful drive from the Tampa Airport to Sarasota crossing many bridges over tranquil turquoise water. By the time we reached Sarasota, peace had returned…mostly. We were both very hungry by then, so we went directly to C’est La Vie.
Even though things hadn’t turned out as planned, we both recognized what a gift it was to have an extra evening together. We were able to share a yummy al fresco meal, take a stroll by the marina, and enjoy a delicious ice cream cone from Rise Cafe.
(By the way, I encourage you to visit Rise Cafe’s website. Something special is happening there. Better yet, if you happen to live near Sarasota, visit the cafe itself to experience the love and joy they are serving in addition to exceptional dairy and non-dairy ice cream.)
I’m happy to report, my sister arrived home without a hitch and the first airline refunded her airfare to the correct credit card! Things often don’t go the way we think they should, but in my experience, there are always blessings in disguise to be found. C’est la Vie!
If you could use some assistance in reframing an experience that did not go as you had hoped, I would be honored to help you shift your perception with a series of Spiritual Coaching Sessions or a Private Family Constellations Session. Both are powerful tools to reveal and heal unconscious blocks and patterns. Please visit my website or send me an email for more information about both of these opportunities. You can also book a session with my automated scheduler. I look forward to working with you!
Some of your greatest advances you have judged as failures, and some of your deepest retreats you have evaluated as success.
A Course in Miracles ~ T-18.V.1:6
