Hours spent stuck in an airport offered Amy Oberholtzer, CATCH Executive Director, an opportunity to practice gratitude and enjoy the power of glimmers.
I recently spent seven hours in an airport. It was crowded and loud and I was surrounded by angry, frustrated passengers, including a lot of hungry, tired kids. Flight delays wreaked havoc on everyone’s plans and the lack of available updates from the airlines added to the collective tension.
In keeping with my ongoing attempts to regularly incorporate gratitude into my days, I found myself relying on it to keep myself calm and I actually enjoyed [some] of my time waiting at gate D10. Being actively grateful allowed me to stay in the moment and notice glimmers all around me – even in the chaos!
Glimmers are small, everyday moments that bring happiness, calm and joy and I found plenty of them amongst the noisy crowd:
- I was completely charmed by the five-year old boy seated next to me, and we successfully named his new stuffed animal, Sharky.
- I had plenty of time to stand in the very long coffee line, so I was able to sip a delicious grande dark roast as I waited for my flight.
- I welcomed a call from a friend and the unexpected free time allowed us a long, cup-filling chat. (Sharky and his buddy listened curiously.)
- The extra hours allowed me to reflect on a much-needed week happily spent with friends, laughing and relaxing together.
- I was reminded how deeply grateful I am that my adult kids are thriving so that traveling freely is possible without worry. AND, I no longer travel with bags of snacks, extra clothes and all kinds of readily accessible activities.
- I shared a few good chuckles with fellow passengers about the $7.00 meal voucher received from the airline that clearly didn’t understand food prices at an airport!
I’m not going to go as far as to say that it was an enjoyable day. It really wasn’t.
But, I am truly discovering the power of gratitude and finding the glimmers in the everyday.
Shifting one’s mindset, even just a little, can:
- change a challenging situation into something less anxiety provoking
- make the ordinary feel unique
- allow us to feel calmer and more peaceful even when we find ourselves in stressful or difficult situations.
Give it a try today. Glimmers are everywhere when we look for them. When I finally returned home, I felt grateful for a safe flight – albeit very late – and the prospect of a warm, sunny Sunday before the week began.
