Stopping the Unstoppable.

My life’s journey has held many spectacular moments on which I pull for literary material, but today held a first. Something that in forty-two years I have never done, never considered doing and until recently would have never really had the audacity to do.

I am comfortable in life. I have realized recently that I do not need to work as hard as before, for I have that which we all seek- Financial freedom.

Life has indeed been good to me. That and the fact that over 40, I really don’t possess the desire for financial gain as I once did in my teens. Then money meant everything. Today, money means little. I need no material objects, I do not need the flashiest car and I do not desire ornaments for the house, the body or life in general. I eat well when I dine out. I rarely drink to excess unless I’m at Trader Vics, and I invest wisely.

So comfortable I am, not just financially, but comfortable in mind and life as well.

So what was it that I did today that I had never done before in 42 years on Earth……….well……….…I stopped a Jumbo jet and got off after all where seated and the doors where closed…………..but that was not all……..and certainly not the pride of my month………………

The day got much better !!

Read on to find out the pinnacle of the day’s success..

Now those who have read a few of these blog entries will know that I am of no particular religious denomination….I am a modernist. I believe in a higher power. I do not believe in names, figures or statues….simply that some entity wiser than us - created all that we are and see.

The following joke offers a semblance of insight into my personal belief…and is one of my favorites…a flooding village, a man’s house is at risk and so he finds higher ground and stands upon a rock as the waters get higher. Another man on a mule passes by on even higher ground and offers the man assistance to safety, but he says,” I have always believed in God, God will save me, I do not need your assistance.”

The flood waters rise higher and the man stands upon his roof. A man in a canoe floats by and offers his assistance. The flood victim repeats his belief. ,” I have always believed in God, God will save me, I do not need your assistance.”

The floods grow higher. The man now stands waist deep upon his roof and a helicopter hovers overhead, offering help. The man waves them away and repeats his belief.

In the end the man drowned. Upon entering heaven he states to God at the Pearly Gates. “I have believed in you all my life and yet you let me drown”. What did I do wrong?”

God replies, “but my son, I sent you a man on a mule, a canoe and a helicopter, what more did you want from me?”

With that joke in mind, I bring you to today……

3am in Auckland New Zealand I enter the airport and am told upon check in that I do not have the correct paper work for entry into my destination, Korea.

There is not much one can do in the world at 3am, but I made a few phone calls, pleaded some more and called others again. Eventually albeit late for the flight, I got the paperwork required

Still one further hurdle to jump when they decided my luggage was too heavy and excess baggage charges would apply. A further delay while I pay the fee and finally head to the gate.

Hours later, I arrive in Sydney an hour late. The only hour I had between flights. Flight from Sydney to Seoul, had already boarded. I am rushed by buggy the miles it takes to get from one end of the airport to the other. Checked in and seated I am then informed that luggage will not join me. They inform me that once in Korea, I can launch an investigation and possibly have my luggage join me a few days from now. Current airline will not wait for the luggage as it is the first airline from New Zealand’s fault for the delay not thier’s.

And so I decide to get off the flight.

WHY?

It was not for the shirts and the shoes in my luggage. Anything of importance I always carry in hand luggage anyway. No, it was that joke I told before that made me get off the flight.

How many hints from God, must it take to learn I thought.

If today had been hassle free, then fine. I probably would have stayed seated. But I do not want to enter the Pearly Gates and have God say, “Come on, I refused you for the wrong Korean Visas, but you insisted. I charged you for excess luggage but you still flew. I delayed your flight so you missed your connection but you made it, and so I delayed your luggage, yet you still flew !!”

And that was why I got off the flight !!!!

And it felt amazing. To be the passenger on a full flight, to get up, grab your bags and watch the confusion on the faces of the air stewardesses and all others as I walked toward the door yelling for it to be opened so that I could get off!!

What was better though was the fact that as I walked to the top of the gangway, feeling it being retracted as I walked, and watching the plane pull back from its park. The airline staff found my luggage and confirmed that although it could not make the current flight, they would promise me that it would be on another carriers flight within 2 hours. Sadly I would not be, as this was the last flight for today to Seoul.

And so, thus began one of life’s most amazing experiences.

Despite the joke being the reason I got off the flight.

With luggage found and on its way, the joke would now be on me when I tried explaining to my bosses the double payment for a single ticket to Korea.

And so I though…..I had to fly.

In no uncertain words, I demanded the return of the aircraft to take me to Korea. Anxious moments ensued as a half dozen people made phone calls , and spoke on walkie talkies. Eventually I felt the gangway being deployed once again and could see the Jumbo 767 returning to the gate. When the doors opened, the faces of the flight staff was one of total shock. They could not believe what they saw, neither could I believe what I had seen.

Today I had stopped a Jumbo and made it return to pick me up.

Life just gets more amazing and proves that there is a higher power and who ever or what ever the entity, it cares for us.

Sometimes it is us who misunderstand the signals, sometimes we fail to see them and other times we fail to even look.

Anyway, I’m happy to state that both myself and my luggage arrived within an hour and half of each other in Seoul Korea and both of us made the connecting flight to Busan, Korea.

Right now. I am succumbing to the hellish 24 hours of travel and am putting head to pillow to finalize another piece of this most amazing adventure.

Today I stopped a jumbo jet and made it return to pick me up.

Tomorrow is Nagasaki Japan. By the end of the week I’ll be in Shanghai China and by weeks end I’ll be in Hong Kong having had a week of laughter and fun with some new friends.

Sleep well my friends. !! Anything is possible….tommorrow we’ll try again !!!