After waking up at 5 am to catch an 8:30 am flight from Denver to Chicago-Midway last weekend, I found myself remembering my great uncle Harold’s words of wisdom about attitude. Did I mention that I was traveling alone with a 10 month old?
To make a long story short, our incoming plane was delayed getting into Denver due to bad weather in Kansas, and since they apparently couldn’t find another crew or plane, we ended up leaving DIA around noon, rather than the original 8:30 am take-off time. Liam missed his morning nap (which is essential to keeping us sane), and I was down to a handful of diapers and a limited supply of baby-friendly food. Basically, all of my fears about traveling alone with an infant were coming true, and I worried that Liam might have a meltdown in our very confined space on the plane and we would be those people. Even worse, what if we had to spend all day in the airport, only to find that our flight was cancelled (there were plenty of people in this predicament from an earlier storm, and they were cashed out all over DIA)? Then the light bulb went off.
Self. You are the adult. Your attitude will determine much about this situation. Liam actually doesn’t seem to mind being in the airport. In fact, he’s practically having the time of his life being social with anyone and everyone in the vicinity. That glass? Perfect for licking and people watching from above the terminal. Those walls? Very few electrical outlets to be concerned with. The floors? Dirty as all get out, but plenty of new space to explore. Now pull yourself together and relax. You’re only borrowing trouble.
So I did what all good moms do when they’re desperate. I took pictures.
In the end, Liam didn’t sleep a wink, but he was happy the entire time we waited in the airport and during the flight. Looking back, the extra hours were quite short in the scheme of things—although it seemed an eternity in that moment. Still, I realized that once I was able to let go of my original expectations, the situation became significantly more bearable. I sense that this is a significant lesson in parenting, as so often our kids are affected by our own attitudes. Can you relate?
In case you’re wondering, if you add up the letters in the word “attitude,” they equal 100% (a=1, t=20, etc). Thanks for the words of wisdom, Uncle Harold. They come to mind more often than you’ll ever know.
And just for fun, here are some shots from a few weeks ago. After all, someone other than me needs to appreciate them. : )
