On Wednesday evening of this week, I missed a fight for the first time. In almost thirty years of flying I have never missed a flight. I was to catch a flight from Ronald Regan Airport to Detroit Metro to spend time in Michigan, a well-worn routine. While this summer flight to Michigan generally happens in August, part of the reasoning for an early trip was needing to get to Lake Ann Camp next week to speak to the Alpha week of Reborn Rangers 2012, a special leadership program that has run each summer since 1999; the other reason, because my family was already planning on being at the Watchtower in the Upper Peninsula (the lake house in the middle of nowhere) and extra travel on their part to retrieve me wasn’t going to happen on my account. In preparation for this flight, I made sure to do two things: (1) to book a cab ahead of time, and (2) check with the TSA to make sure that I was allowed to pack a toy lightsaber into my carry-on bag for use at Lake Ann Camp later on. I checked with the TSA and booked the cab; that cab never arrived. The company tried to track it down, never did, and sent another cab. This second cab whisked me away to the airport, but to no avail; TSA security took their time making me wait for a special screening – since I can’t go through detectors – and did nothing when I clearly heard my name being called for this flight to Michigan, which happened to be the last flight to Michigan for the night. Rushing to the gate was an exercise in futility as I realized the door was closed and the plane moments from pulling away.
Aaron Welty
Author, Speaker, and Super Nerd. Aaron Welty speaks and writes regularly connecting the dots of life, faith, and science fiction. Originally from Michigan, he now lives and works in the Washington, DC metro area.
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