Obstacles

As soon as I sat down at the bus station after saying goodbye to my people, I overheard someone at my gate say the bus was running an hour late. As I didn't have much time to spare to catch my flight in Newark, NJ, this was cause for concern.  Not long after departure, we stopped at a rest stop in Somerset; I thought little of I and went inside to get some food. After eating on the bus, I fell asleep to wake up an hour later to realize we were still haven't left. We ended up staying at the stop for several hours. When I learned that the reason for our delay, a truck crashed so the highway needed cleared before we could continue, it became apparent that this wasn't "my day." As I did the math, chances were slim I'd catch my 5:50 pm flight. Despair over the thought of losing big money over this missed flight set in. After weighing my options, I kept on with my route and made it to Newark through a Baltimore and NYC connection at around 10:00 pm. On he final leg of the trip, I met a man named Michka, originally from Denmark, and his girlfriend Kate. I shared my struggles with Michka, he gave me encouragement and shared a Bible verse, Mathew 11:28.  As I made my way to the United Airlines terminal, a man with funny glasses greeted me, recognizing my weariness, I think.  I told him the situation, and he set me up with a flight the next day, without charging the massive flight change fee stated on their website. This was an enormous relief, and I made my way to a Days Inn. I've never appreciated an over

 

-priced, low-quality motel room like I did that night. After ordering some food to be delivered to my room, I crashed for a much-needed night's sleep.  Tomorrow is another day.

What I learned: Don't rely on a bus to make it on-time for an international flight. Especially when your arrival is time-sensitive. Pay the extra money for the flight if the train won't take your luggage (as was my case).  Also, don't be over-optimistic; when planning, leave wiggle room for obstacles.