How Misery, Mayhem, and Misfortune Became Adventure, Amusement, and Applause.

It was a few days before Christmas. A blizzard raged across Northern Europe.

While freezing temperatures, snow, and ice began to shutdown towns and cities, I was boarding a flight from Japan to the UK to visit family.

I flew with Lufthansa and had a transfer in Frankfurt. I hadn't seen my family for about two years.

After 11.5 hours in the air, my plane arrived into Frankfurt. The airport was in chaos. Every flight had been grounded.

As was usual back then, I was travelling alone.

Much of me was glad about this, because I only had to think about myself. I am a consummate optimist so, with no one complaining about the inconvenience and stress, I could focus on figuring out what to do.

All over the airport, people were sleeping. The floors were strewn with people and bags. There were no available seats. I joined a long line for information about my connecting flight and waited.

It was a long wait. I remember needing the bathroom and thinking that this is when travel companions are helpful.

Eventually, it was my turn. Predictably, all flights were grounded. No one knew for how long, but certainly until the following day.

Fortunately, I had a British passport and Britain was still in the EU, so I was able to enter Germany. The airline paid for a taxi, my hotel, and my meals. No airport floors for me.

To my mind, this was a fun experience. I’d never stayed in Germany before, and I was determined to make the most of my time there.

Excitedly, I stepped out into the freezing air and found a cab. I was relieved to see the autobahn had speed limits in place due to the weather, although I was anxious when the signs indicated they were set at 100 km per hour.

I arrived at a hotel full of stranded passengers. There was a huge buffet laid out. I joined a table of people from around the world. We chatted and laughed. We talked about education, politics (and, of course, the weather).

Then I went for a walk, so I could say I had seen (a bit of) Frankfurt. Unfortunately, it was so cold I couldn't walk too far.

The next day, I hopped in a taxi back to the airport. Flights were extremely limited. I had arrived very early but, even so, the gate for flights to Manchester was already overcrowded.

There was a screen with names on. Mine was way down.

Priority passengers and families were placed at the top. The rest of us saw our names crawl up the screen and repeatedly drop down.

One plane departed. More people arrived. And so it went on.

Throughout the day, I met many interesting people. We chatted, and laughed, and made the best of the situation. We saw our names crawl slowly up the screen. And we watched them drop back down.

It was a bizarre form of entertainment. An unusual game of luck. Almost everyone at the gate accepted the situation. When others jumped ahead, we congratulated them; when names dropped out of the running again, we commiserated.

Eventually, my name was three spots from the top. But, the next plane was already full. If I didn’t get a place, there were no guarantees another flight would depart that day.

Anxiously, we all waited at the gate. Two passengers could not be located. Those ahead of me were given spots.

I moved to the top of the list.

People began to board. We waved goodbye. Hugged, and wished each other well.

Boarding completed. I texted my family to say I may not make it back until the next day. Then miraculously, my name was called.

I jumped up, grabbed my bag and boarded the plane (rapidly re-texting my family so someone could pick me up).

As I entered the plane, flustered and relieved, I heard somebody cheer. Before I knew it, the plane broke into applause. The people whom I had met at the boarding gate, cheered and welcomed me onto the flight.

It is hard to put into words how it felt to have so many people visibly and audibly glad for you.

However, it was not the applause that made that day special. It was the people I met and the conversations we had. It was the laughter and camaraderie.

But, best of all, I met a friend that day. An Australian woman, who lives in New York. We are still in touch and have met up twice since.

A stressful and frustrating experience had become one of joy and companionship.

That day, I learned a lot about the value of seeking happiness and accepting when things don’t go to plan.

Are you a joy seeker?

NOTE: This story was voted for on a POLL. Two people voted that this tale should not be told here (because it isn’t FaceBook). I wonder if they would have had a similar story to tell had they been stuck at an airport.

I'll post the train story in a few days. ??