Traveling Adventure Near Miss

In the middle of the week, I decided to check on the bus schedule to Logan airport. I planned to catch a plane on Monday evening to Richmond, VA and attend the Extraordinary Leadership Training. (The name is a bit audacious, I admit. My goal is to become a good leader or at least a good enough leader.) This is my third and last year in the program. So I’ve made this trip seven other times. I’d purchased my plane tickets last October and had this date in my Palm for almost a year.

It was in the midst of checking the bus schedule that I realized something wasn’t right. In the past I’d traveled on Presidents Day. But my plans were to leave a week earlier. This led me to check my datebook, a recent email for the training and the website for the sponsoring organization.

Imagine my shock when I discovered I’d entered the date incorrectly. I was only a few days from another “traveling adventure” which would feature me standing at a retreat center around midnight with no place to go and no one to help me. I’m sure it would make a great story and glad I don’t get to tell it.

So why share this little story? I guess because I’m grateful to have missed this latest adventure. I wonder how many such near misses I never even notice.

Also I wonder about the opportunities I miss because I am not paying attention: opportunities for acts of kindness, for words of encouragement, for sharing my faith experience with someone else.

Maybe I’ll pay more attention this week so I don’t miss the opportunity to give thanks for near missed miss-adventures or to help someone else who wasn’t so lucky.

Mike