When I was writing the article that proved to be the first in this series, I mentioned that inspiration is basically an external stimulus that causes you to feel something or want to do something.  I also mentioned how a bad call by the refs sets my blood to boiling and I want to throw a shoe at the TV.

These types of thing happen to all of us at some time or another, and often at the worst possible times.  I remember a Thanksgiving many years ago when I was on a business trip to the mid west.  I was supposed to fly home the morning before Thanksgiving and my Mom was supposed to fly up in the early evening and we were supposed to spend the holiday together.

My flight had me landing in Denver (the old airport) at 9:00 AM, departing at 10:00, and arriving home at 11:45.  My Mom was due to arrive around 6:00.  No problem.  Yeah, right!

There was a bank of fog, 15 miles in diameter around Denver airport that was too dense for planes to land or take off.  Snow in the winter closing the airport, sure thing, but fog, in November.  No way.  Most of the people I talked to later that evening said they had never heard of such a thing and many had lived in the area a loooong time.

The rest of the area was beautiful, it was only bad right at the airport.  So, they diverted my flight to Colorado Springs.  We sat over 6 hours on the tarmac.  They brought McDonalds out to the plane as there was no gate available for us to pull in to.  I had no communication with anyone and my Mom, who had only been on a plane once or twice in her life, was flying in.  If I wasn’t there to meet her, she would freak out.

Finally around 4:30, 3:30 west coast time, 2 ½  hours before my Mom was to arrive, the pilot had enough and told everyone we were getting off the plane and walking in to the terminal.  They extended the stairs and everyone got off.  I climbed up in the cargo bay to help unload the luggage and we all trekked across the runways to the terminal.

When we got to the terminal, I was able to get to a pay phone and call my niece to have her meet my Mom at the airport.  Whew!  I was able to breathe easier after that.

I was finally able to get another flight and get home about 1:00 AM.  My Mom spent the night with my niece, and we were all able to celebrate Thanksgiving together.

Yes, it did all work out.  But, it almost didn’t!  The fog that wasn’t supposed to be there caused the diversion that wasn’t supposed to happen.  If I hadn’t been able to get off the plane when I did and call my niece, my Mom would have been waiting at the airport not knowing what happened.  It was supposed to be so simple.  I get home at 10:00.  Mom arrives at 6:00.  Plenty of time, right?  I tell you it was way worse than any bad call in any football game.