Takeaway 01: Patience, Young Grasshopper

"This trip is off to a horrible start!"

declared my husband, half-jokingly, as he lost his second round of Casino. To be fair, it was also after hours of unexpectedly waiting in the airport after two delays and an outright flight cancellation.

Perhaps planning for events has never been certain, but pre-March 2020, this hyper-focused first-born Midwestern mom believed SHE could MAKE. THINGS. HAPPEN. (The ego! Yes, I know.) As pandemic waves kept rolling through and disrupting schedules, I distinctly remember thinking perhaps I was the last person who had gotten the memo and learned how to pivot. Changes in plans still made me unsettled at best and angry at worst.

I’d never experienced a flight cancellation before, and may I be so vulnerable to say that I wished my own mom was there because she is excellent at quickly figuring things out. Thankfully, as I panicked aloud, an airline employee talked me out of purchasing an unreasonably expensive alternate flight option.

So, I stood in back in line and waited my turn.

I stood in the discomfort of uncertainty.

I ate a lot of gummy bears.

Moments (hours? minutes?) later, a pop-up notification alerted us that new flights, at no additional expense, had been found while waiting and trusting that someone else could carry this load.

On this first day of my Fund for Teachers professional development journey, this not-so-young grasshopper was reminded to practice patience and pivoting. We offered an empathic ear to the young man who slept in the airport the night before. We found the airport yoga room, set down our heavy carry-ons, and stretched our tired limbs. We dipped crispy fries into the most perfect garlicky aioli. We confirmed that I am still the best card player in the family.