Several years ago, on my last day of a very challenging job experience in Washington D.C, I returned from a long lunch break to my office, to hear that a Japanese client, based in New York, was waiting to see me. He had been waiting for nearly two hours. I rushed to the office lobby and found him cradling a large bouquet of yellow flowers. He had come all the way by train, from New York, to bring me the flowers, to thank me for my professional assistance. Yellow, he said symbolizes ‘ happiness ’ in Japan. ‘ I wish for you to be happy !’ He presented the flowers, then left to return to New York.
His act that day deposited such gold in my soul! I was stunned that someone would go out of their way in that manner to make such a generous point.
Since that day, I have worn yellow as a consistent reminder to ‘be happy’. For some of my happiest travelling moments, I've donned yellow. I celebrated a milestone destination birthday with a 'touch of yellow.' I climbed the Wall of China in yellow - even with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in my knee!
The best part about the reminder to be happy, is that happiness should not be determined by external circumstances because happiness is truly an "inside job!"
Here are five of my favorite quotes on happiness:
" I f you want to be happy, be.... " ~ Leo Tolstoy
" The only thing that will make you happy is being happy with who you are, and not who people think you are "
~ Goldie Hawn
" Be happy! It's one way of being wise " ~ Sidonie Collete
“ Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be .” ~ Abraham Lincoln
“ Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude .”~ Denis Waitley
Whenever I wear yellow, I think of my Japanese client and that wonderful gesture he did for me. I remember to be happy. No matter where I am, what I am doing or what my present circumstances are.
I am reminded to just be.
“ You know by now that something is wrong. ” The pilot's announcement pierced the dead silence. Yes, I knew something was wrong. Everyone on board knew that something was very wrong. We had been flying for what seemed like an eternity, with only the sound of the engine’s hum. The flight attendants had abruptly stopped the beverage service and retreated to the back of the plane. We had all heard the awful sound, but no one dared to ask what was going on.
Then the pilot came back on. “ We are seeking permission to land at the nearest airport that will allow us to .” That was all. No further explanation.
As my thoughts raced and fear engulfed my heart, we continued to fly. So, this is what it feels like to be in a life and death situation. This is what it feels like to be in the intersection between life and death, where neither was certain but either a possibility. My husband held my hand and encouraged me that we would certainly make it to earth, but my mouth was too dry to speak. I nodded in silence and continued to look out of the window, praying fervently for God to deliver us safely unto the ground.
We had left Orlando earlier, in high spirits, carrying sunshine in our souls back to the dreary Chicago winter. We had made this journey several times in the past, and the hour and half flight was never remarkable. This current journey certainly was. About 30 minutes into the flight, as the plane was settling into its cruising altitude and the flight attendants were serving beverages, an explosive bang shattered the normalcy. We all heard it! As the plane shuddered, complete silence fell in the cabin. The flight attendants scurried out of sight and we all indeed knew something was very wrong. But the pilot did not say a thing for an excruciating period, after which he announced the obvious.
I had never been afraid of flying. In fact, I loved soaring in the sky like an eagle, but the eagle was now terrified! At that time, I flew often on business. Day trips in between dropping off and picking up my daughter at day care were my norm! But now, I I felt like I had just flown into the eye of a storm and I prayed to God for His deliverance.
“ We have been granted permission to land in Indianapolis ” the pilot announced overhead. Indianapolis? Why would he not land the plane sooner in the flight path to Chicago? Indianapolis was nearly home! Why would we need to divert to Indianapolis, having flown all the way from Orlando? My mind was racing with questions. The flight attendants reappeared and began to prepare the cabin for an emergency landing. "Fasten your seat belts! Place everything under the seat" they said as they paced up and down the cabin barking instructions. The aircraft was now going to land - the earliest opportunity possible following the apparent system failure that had occurred.
As the plane hovered for the landing in Indianapolis, we could see emergency vehicles on the ground. When the plane finally touched down in a remote section of the airport, all hell broke loose overhead. “Thank God we made it! Thank God we made it” a flight attendant shrieked. Yes, thank God we made it!
I exited that aircraft with so many questions. What exactly happened? Why did we not get more information? Why did we fly ALL the way in harrowing silence and total ignorance of what had happened? And why on earth did that woman yell “Thank God we made it” so loud and hard after we landed? So, our situation was THAT bad? It turned out that damage had been incurred to a vital part of the aircraft following the blow out of an engine.
This happened many years ago. Before the unfortunate events of 911, before Facebook and the courts of justice on social media, where the incident would have been chronicled, dissected and discussed; when flying was not anywhere as stressful as it is today. But I remember it vividly. The emotions, the fear, the panic, the anger, the relief.
Flying was never the same for me after that incident. I became afraid and panicked at the slightest sound, at the smallest indication that the flight attendants' behavior was different. Until that incident, I had always loved flying. I loved soaring in the sky as each experience, in my mind, brought me physically closer to the heavens and to God. After this incident, everything changed. I no longer felt like I was soaring in the heavens, but felt more like I was trapped in a cylindrical bullet hurtling through the atmosphere and could not wait to arrive at my destination.
Flying of course is the safest form of transportation, but try speaking that truth to the irrational fear of an individual with a vivid imagination, that is afraid to fly. It is said that one in ten of us has a phobia of flying, and not of the flying itself, but of the prospect of plummeting to death as the plane falls out of the sky. Statistics from the United States Department of Transportation however have shown that it is much safer to travel via plane, than in a car. In fact, air travel is the safest form of travel – safer than cars, rail, and boats all combined.
I eventually overcame my fear of flying, but it took several years after that incident to get there. That is a story in itself. The story of a fifteen and a half hour journey to Hong Kong, in an aircraft that kept hitting severe turbulence again and again. I will tell that story in another blog post.
The moment of lift. When the thrust from the engines pushing an airplane forward exceeds the drag (air resistance) pulling it back....and a lift force, greater than the aircraft's weight is created. That 'lift' powers the plane into the sky.
Gravelly Point is an amazing park near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. It is uniquely located just a few hundred feet north of the airport's runway, making it an ideal spot to watch airplanes take off and land.
As airplanes approach the airport, they fly across the Potomac River then roar overhead just a few hundred feet above Gravelly Point Park in order to nail their screeching arrivals on the Reagan runway. It is truly exhilarating to watch the precision of the process as the planes come in with their perfectly executed landings. The landing procedure is frequently reversed where airplanes take off over Gravelly Point. I find it even more incredibly fascinating to watch planes as they take off from the runway, on their way to various destinations.
I love to come to Gravelly Point to watch plane after plane get to the 'moment of lift'. It takes a lot of engineering and preparation to get to this moment. One by one, the air crafts line up and slowly begin their journeys down the runaway. Slowly at first and then as they pick up speed and barrel down the runway, it all comes down to that single moment, when suddenly, the nose of the aircraft pitches upward and the aircraft leaves the ground!
As I behold the moment, I think about my dreams! I think of their moments of lift. When all my planning and preparation, perseverance and diligence will pay off! As plane after plane take off overhead, my resolve is strengthened to keep working, keep pressing, keep trying, keep dreaming! The moment of lift will come.
Whatever it is that you are dreaming of, planning or preparing for, work diligently and anticipate your moment of lift -when the thing being planned or prepared for takes off the ground! That moment will surely come.