Maru and I almost missed our flight to the US on Friday morning. All train services across the UK were closed due to strikes by rail workers, so the only way for us to get to London’s Gatwick airport was a 2-hour Uber! Add to this an error on my part where I almost sent us to the wrong airport… and we were on struggle street.
As the Uber schlepped through central London’s treacle-like traffic, we constantly checked our phones for the updated arrival time. We were looking up travel insurance coverage and discussing what we’d do if we needed to book an alternative flight.
Those were the headwinds.
Then came the tailwinds.
Our Uber driver was a hero. He avoided the clogged motorway, snaked his way through back roads, and I’m sure broke a number of speed limits on the way. Once we arrived, there was no one in the visa check or bag drop queue. We got lucky again with almost no line at security. Of the 65 gates at Gatwick, ours was one of the closest. We got on the flight.
Some days we’ll only get headwinds, others only tailwinds, and sometimes a bit of both. I like to pause and appreciate the tailwinds. Especially when a specific combination of events had to go right for the final outcome to be a success.