Hectic but Providential

Adventure is usually what comes to my mind whenever something doesn’t go quite according to plan. I usually tell people when I’m lost, “I’m not lost, truly” , and “I’m just on an adventure.” A charming thought only if you have nowhere to go or punctuality is not entirely of the essence. In this case, just recently on my decent to Pegosa Springs, I made my way to Denver Colorado an entire hour short of my flight. Having never been in this situation before, I managed to keep calm. Having my iPod touch with me nearly everywhere I go with big friendly letters on the lock screen that say, “Don’t Panic.” This is, of course, a little something I carry with me for reassurance but mostly a comedic relief I typically get when recalling the muses of British humor easily found in Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guild to the Galaxy. Reading the words “Don’t Panic” was very affirming and calming—the Denver airport was not.

Continental airlines was as accommodating as they could: the earliest flight they could confirm for me was only seven hours past my intended schedule and to make matters more complicated, it was with another airline at another terminal. Long story short, there was a lot of walking involved with this little excursion of very little pleasure. Having not only my backpack loaded with computer gear but also my camera bag didn’t make matters any lighter. At least there were the automated walkways making my trudging across the terminal back and forth between United and Continental costumer service. Little did I know that the merge between these major airlines was still in flux and United couldn’t help me very much with Continental’s issues: one in particular was accommodating me with a ticket that had no value to Frontier. A misfortune to say the least for it required further trudging in the airport and even more stress to my senses. At least I had my iPod to boom the Tron: Reconfigured soundtrack to make things a little more interesting. Also looking at the situation as a sort of action flick made things a little better. I started to pretend that I was on a high-stakes mission and would walk back and forth between terminals to the Italian Job soundtrack.

After determining that only Continental was the only factor among airlines that could fix the problem they created for me, I decided to finally sit for a meal for after spending sometime at their assigned gates, there was not a Continental soul to be sought. Further waiting took place after dinner but I finally managed to speak with a representative of Continental and set things straight with my reservation with Frontier and getting a valid ticket to board their plane. After a prolonged phone call with Frontier, my reservation had been confirmed and I was instructed to head back to Terminal A to speak with gate 37. Once there, several minutes later, I spoke with Frontier’s customer service and was handed not a ticket but a boarding pass! I was overwhelmed at this point and couldn’t help but gasp with success at the end of my anxious concern for confirmation of my flight into Durango.

I suppose after looking back at all this now, it indeed was all a hectic mess and quite stressful. I am glad now, however, because I’m all the more experienced especially in regards to Denver’s airport. Hopefully next time the aeroplane I’m on won’t need last minute maintenance on a broken latch and I won’t miss my connecting flight. On the other hand, if I had made my flight that fateful morning, I wouldn’t have run into a fellow student of mine who is also attending Summit Semester. While waiting for my 7:45 flight to Durango through Frontier Airlines, Amy from California was waiting for the same flight as I. I had been wearing a Summit Ministries T-shirt at the time, but she claims to have recognized my face from the start and the T-shirt only confirmed that she knew who I was. Although I didn’t recognizer her at first, it was an extreme delight and refreshment to meet a face I felt like I could actually get to know and not complain to. It was also nice to know I wouldn’t be heading to my final destination alone. Figuring I probably would have gotten to meet her sooner or later in Pegosa, it’s still a rather interesting story to look back on and tell as I hope you have enjoyed this experience as much as I did after everything has been said and done. Looking back now, although rather hectic, it was intriguing and inspiring all at once to see the providence of it all. And that’s how I physically got to Summit Semester, ten hours off schedule and exhausted, yet satisfied with learning a few new tricks, meeting a new friend, and gaining a story to tell. 

"My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer."