Turbulence
Multiple people were making use of the paper bags the airline had provided in the seat backs. Including the kid next to me. This is not what we expected.
Our family was spread out around the plane and while none of them got sick, it was touch and go for several minutes. And frankly, I didn't feel so great myself. I've flown a lot, but I've never experienced turbulence that bad.
We were flying into Bozeman after a layover in Denver. As we made our initial approach, the winds off of the mountains played with our airplane like a toy- tossing it back and forth and up and down. As we headed gradually down, and the buildings got bigger, I tried to distract myself with the movie I had been watching. And then I noticed that we were going back up again. I found out later that the winds had caused us to miss our first approach and the tower was directing us to circle around and come in from the other direction.
Back through the turbulence, again.
When we finally touched down, I was counting on Christ's death and resurrection for my eternity. We hit hard. I wondered if the landing equipment had ever broken up through the middle of the plane during a landing. And then the plane wobbled badly. At one point it felt like we were going sideways and would roll into a fiery ball at the end of the runway.
Did I mention it was my birthday? I figured that 37 years was enough and if Jesus wanted us in heaven I wasn't going to argue at that point. But I guess he wasn't ready for us yet, because eventually we got straitened out and taxied to the gate.
And that was just the start of our adventure.
Sometimes we get unexpected turbulence. We were expecting smooth sailing, but a storm arises. In fact, as I sit here reflecting, I don't remember many times in which I have had a plan that didn't get battered by some wind. Rarely do things go as planned, hoped, or expected. Which, as frustrating as it feels, may be part of what makes life worth living.
If everything went according to plan, and all that was experienced was anticipated and prepared for, and no problems or challenges arose, life would be pretty boring, right? If the story arch went flat, we'd never read the story.
Of course, these types of adventures do involve loss. Sometimes great loss. And those losses deserve some mourning or grieving. And this too, is probably a gift. I'm still not sure I appreciate that type of gift- it feels like something I'd rather stick back in the box and send back to Amazon. But that's not how it works. Even if we decide adventure is not worth the risk of loss, and we opt for a 'safe' boring life, we don't have control. We'll still end up getting hit by turbulence and sometimes feel like we will lose our lunch.
How have you been hit by some turbulence in your life lately? Did you find it welcoming, or did you want to send it back? How did it make your story more interesting?
Cody Buriff, Director of Resource Initiatives
