Gary Glass

As you gently push your way past other settling airline passengers, eager to get that last available window seat so you are not destined for the discomfort of middle-seat-land, you take your seat just in time to hear that safety schpeel that we all love so much! "In the event of a water landing, your seat can be used as a flotation device..." Then we hear the Captain chime in as we taxi to the runway "kksshh - this is the Captain speaking, aahhh we are going to be cruising at 37,000 feet with an estimated flight time of 3 hours and 35 minutes. So, ahhh, sit back and enjoy the flight, welcome aboard." Now, with all of these airline pilots sounding alike, I am starting to thing that they train themselves to speak in that very distinct, Bill Clinton-like crackly voice! Maybe its just me.

This particular day is ripe with stormy weather. Thunderstorms for 100 miles. As you leave the ground, everything seems cool. You even marvel at the speed of which the water beads blast past your itty-bitty window ( and half of a window which you share with the person in front of you). About 5 minutes into your flight, your captain hits the mic again to let you all know that the seatbelt sign is going to remain on, as you are about to hit some turbulence. The next thing you know, everything shakes, flight attendants grab the nearest seat, you are getting jostled around, head bouncing off of the window, smacking funny-bones with that jubilant late arrival lost in middle-seat-land next to you! Its rough, and it sucks! You strain your neck to see if the wing has fallen off - surely this plane cant take much more! And just as you start to prepare to be using your seat as a flotation device, its over. Calm, peaceful, balance restored. You take a breath and then lose it again as you get a chance to see what few people do; the always serene life above the storm. So far up in the air, you can see the storm clouds below you, so heavy with rain that they cant go any higher. The seatbelt sign turns off with that pleasant "bing" sound, and you hear "you are free to move about the cabin."

Ultimately, I think that we each have a choice, everyday, which environment we are going to fly in. Situations sometimes rain on our otherwise delightful day. And if your life is anything like mine, when it rains, it pours for sure! Unfortunately, we cant control when it rains, or how much it dumps into our day, but we can control how we deal with it. I watched a great episode of MythBusters one day, and the experiment was whether it was the one who walked through rain, or the one who ran through rain, that got the most wet. The interesting thing is that it was the one who ran to get out of the rain that collected more water, than the one who calmly walked.

The lesson I have for you today is that you will have days that produce unexpected thunderstorms and pouring rain. Be the person with a great attitude, knowing that it is the "testing of your faith that produces patience" James 1:3. As you face each challenge with appreciation for the lesson that you are learning, your attitude is producing a better altitude that is allowing you quickly rise above the storm, and experience a peaceful calm that few get to know. You will find that you will collect only a fraction of the water/damage/heartache than those around you who choose to be angry or bitter as they remain in the uncomfortable funk that you just left behind.

To Your Success,
GMG

I am reminded that we are each unique. That we each have something spectacular inside of us, and that someone, somewhere loves something about us. Be encouraged and know that you already possess the strength to achieve anything that you want.