Once upon a time..... Yesterday was the most flustrating day I have experienced in a very long time. It started in Atlantic City, New Jersey where I was trying to take a flight home. However, they wanted and extra $385 to fly from there instead of Philadelphia. I headed to Philly. Got there with plenty of time, 5 hours worth of extra time. No biggie, I am easily entertainted so I found stuff to do until 6 o'clock. At that point, the flight was delayed until 8:30. Okay, whats a little more time. They postponed the flight 5 times. The last time, it was until 11:20. The plane was being repaired in Atlanta, and would be arriving then, maybe. Of course, me having a one way ticket, securtiy had to do the entire deal and go thru everything that I had, in great detail. Well, it did arrive and we boarded then. I must have gotten the very last seat avalible on the flight. I was on the last row, in the corner, window seat without a window, next to the engines. The seats didnt recline either.
Anyway, with the plane being delayed until that time, I missed the last shuttle van back to Chattanooga, which left at midnight. Hertz rental car is open 7/24s so no problem. Until I landed and tried to rent one. This snooty woman told me sarcatically, that they dont have any cars to rent that go one way. I had just turned in one of their cars at 2:00 this afternoon, to the tune of about $1,800, and they cant let me have one of their cars tonight???Its 2:30 in the AM and I am stuck at the airport until 6am when the next shuttle is suppose to start again? To say I was very,mmm, upset to put it mildly.
About 3am I am sitting out front of the airport in a wheelchair(only seat that wasnt concrete) with my luggage, and this old man comes shuffling over to me. I went, OH great now a bum coming over. I was in NOOOO mood for this. I saw him earlier going thru the garbage and ashtrays on top of the cans. He comes on over, barely walking, and says," Good Morning". I said I guess for some. He then asks very politely if he can have a light. He had found a very small butt in the ashtray that someone else had discarded, and was going to smoke it. I gave him a light, he very gently Thanked me, and he started shuffling away. I was kind of perplexed, but oh well, to each his own. Then he leaned against the wall, and slid down it to a sitting position, and then layed down to what you see in the picture above and went to sleep. Well, something happened to me right then. Maybe you would call it a reality check, or compassion, or just call it what you will. My whole attitude changed in a instant. Maybe I had a right to be upset at the day, the situation, the whole mess, but was I going to let it eat me up when there was clearly nothing that I could do about it except wait? Think not. So I got into my luggage and found a new pack of smokes and an extra lighter that I had, and took it over to the sleeping man. I thanked him for helping me out of my pity party, and left him with his care package.
I prayed for him, and left him in better hands. I am really blessed.