Yesterday evening I landed at Pearson after a much-needed, short but perfect, mini-vacation to South Beach, Miami. Overall, my trip was perfect - great weather, amazing shopping and fabulous restaurants...it couldn't have gotten any better. But last night was a different story. It seemed fate had a different ending in mind.
After a pleasant flight (except for the fact that I didn't use the bathroom because I didn't want to inconvenience the older couple sitting next to me - I had the window seat!), and the fact that I still had my 1/2 drank cold latte cup in hand - we all exited like normal and made our way towards customs. That's when the trouble began.
I made my way down the hall, up the stairs, down another hall and turned the corner to see easily over a hundred people standing around. It only took a few moments to realize that I TOO was going to be one of them. It seems that multiple flights landed within minutes of each other and there were literally hundreds of people waiting to get through Customs!
So cup in hand, tote bag on shoulder, bladder full... I stood. And waited... oh and to top it all off, my cellphone wasn't picking up the network so I had no phone to let my ride know I was going to be late - very late, getting out of there.
Undoubtedly, tempers were flaring, people were getting frustrated, children were crying... it wasn't a good scene. Like a herd of cows, we slowly made our way - in batches of 20-30, down the stairs to only get to more crowds snake-lined as far as the eye can see. And still, no phone service. I too was now getting frustrated. (Thankfully though there were washrooms downstairs!).
I took my place at the end of the line and sighed. This is going to be one long night... and did I mention it was dinner time? I was starving. Well, as I stood around listening to everyone complaining and getting angry, it could have been easy to join in and let the frustration of the moment get the best of me - or I could make the best of it. And isn't that what Wellness really is about? Making the best choices for ourselves to live a better life. Indeed my life didn't feel like healthy and vibrant at the time - but I had a choice. So I chose to be well and use that time wisely. So I pulled out my book and read...and read...and read.
And as I walked up and down the lines, I was taken into the world of my fiction novel and completely forgot about the fact that I was hungry, tired, bored and frustrated. I drowned out the angry voices and I got lost in my book. So where everyone around me was either complaining, sighing or busy on their phones (I don't know they got service!) - I chose not be a part of it and instead, chose to take care of my mental well-being - whichever way I could.
TWO hours later, I was out - freedom at last! My poor friend who was waiting for me - and almost was about to call RCMP to look for me - looked so relieved as I exited the sliding doors...what a night!
Despite it all, I felt that in the moment, I chose my well-being and found a way to give it my attention, versus get caught up in the madness. So next time you're in a frustrating, unescapable situation - think about what you can do, in that moment, to feel an ounce of calm amidst the storm.
Happy to be home,
Dr. Shamira
www.artofwellness.ca
Makes 500 mL (2 cups)
Recent Comments