Today the universe gave me the opportunity to witness the kindness of others, and like so many lessons in the life of a writer, presenter and teacher, it came in a very unexpected way.
My son Duncan and I were on our way to the airport in Bloomington, Minnesota, about a 70-minute drive on schedule, when we hit one of the two seasons we have in Minnesota: road construction. (If you’re wondering, the other season is winter.) Since we wanted him to sleep as long as possible, we left St. Cloud with very little additional travel time. As I asked for the time, I felt a little anxious to get through security in time to catch my flight. When we got to the curb, I quickly unloaded my bag of four (yes, I said four, two to check, a small rolling board and a backpack), hugged Duncan, thanked him, told him I loved him and would miss him and thank him. wished you a good trip.
When I got to the security line and was getting organized, BAM! hits me I didn’t have my cell phone. I looked at the clock to see if I had time to catch my son and get him to give me the cell phone again. I knew I would depend on a complete stranger to give me permission to use his cell phone. When I asked the woman in front of me if she would do this for me, she lent me her phone so she could call him. When I heard how far I had already driven through traffic and gauged the pace of the safety line, I knew the time was too close. I would risk missing my flight if I waited for him to come back with my phone. I told him I would find a way to get on Facebook and send him an address where I could put my phone. I turned to my linemate and thanked him. I then muttered under my breath “Thank you, universe!”
As I waited to go through the scanner, I started talking to the man in line next to me. “I just wanted you to know that my son saw you when he dropped me off and he was impressed with your manga.” He laughed and replied, “I guess you’re not talking about my shirt sleeve.” I laughed, he laughed and so did his traveling companion. His partner said, “You should see the ink on her legs. We traveled to Colorado for a tattoo convention, because we deal with an aftercare product that acts like a Band-Aid for new tattoos.” “Wow, that’s great,” I replied. Then he said, “I heard he said that he left his cell phone in his son’s car. When we go through security, I’ll be happy to help him so he can communicate with his son.” I said, “Thanks, that would be great!” In my mind I said “Thank you universe!”
After talking to Duncan and texting him an address where I could put my phone, I was a little more relaxed. As I sat on my flight to Chicago, I thought, “Oh, well. I couldn’t be using my cell phone on planes today and tomorrow. Then tomorrow I’ll be doing a shoot, so I guess everyone else can wait for me to call.” them.” As I disembarked from my flight in Chicago and looked at the board, I realized that my mindset had changed and I was rapidly creating my day in a new direction. My next flight departed from the gate right next to the I just walked in. While waiting in line for a famous Chicago Dog, I asked the man across from me if I could make a call on his phone since I had left mine in my son’s car in Minnesota, and wanted to check if my home was safe and sound. I told him I would give him the number to call so he would know the call was not from outside the country. He smiled kindly and said, “Don’t worry, I have an international plan and I always I’m willing to help someone.” As we waited for my son to respond, he joked with me about what life was like before cell phones and how today we feel like we’ve had an appendix cut out if we don’t have ours every minute of every day. I laughed. “I guess what e the universe just wanted us to laugh today. A good thing to do on days when we have to travel.” He laughed again and so did everyone else in line. I thanked him and said to no one in particular “Thank you universe!”
Talking with my son, I discovered that in my rush and because I was using an unknown phone, I had missed a digit in the zip code of the address the phone was to be shipped to. And then I got another unexpected surprise. My mistake resulted in another opportunity for someone to give the gift of kindness. The postmaster at the post office where my son sent the phone not only calculated the correct zip code, but he also packed the phone and it was on its way to me. I felt like people from all over were involved in sharing the kindness, all because I was in a hurry and left my phone in Duncan’s car. Once again, I thanked the universe!
As I write this on the last leg of my journey today, I want to say to every person who has lent me their phone and shared words of encouragement, thank you! I tried to multiply every kindness I received and pass it on to others. This has been a day full of kindness, laughter and sharing, a day in which the generous spirit within each of us was on display. Although I know that the people who helped me may never read this, I know that the universe will find a way to duplicate my efforts to thank all the people who helped me. Know that if you have done a little kindness for others today, or perhaps received some, and if each of these events is multiplied, we can all share the lesson of the forgotten cell phone.
Post Script: I finished writing just in time to shut down and prepare for landing. When our flight attendant Jim gave the closing announcement to send us on our way, he delighted me when he said, “As you leave today, I want you to remember, as soon as possible, do these three important things: 1) Do something nice just for yourself, 2) Be nice to a stranger, and 3) Tell someone you love them.” Thank you universe!