Being THIS close…

Being this close to winning or getting something doesn’t matter. What matters is that it fell through. It’s a done deal not in your favour.
There I was, dashing through the passageway that connects the boarding gate to the plane. I could see the air stewardess at the plane’s door waving violently and shouting “No, we’re flying off! Please get on the next flight!”. And then they released the connecting arm.

Perfect! I missed my domestic flight from Los Angeles to Sin City. Next flight with confirmed seats is at 6am tomorrow morning. In the meantime, United Airlines placed me on waiting list for the 3.45pm flight. Last I checked, I am number 7 in the queue. And the plane’s seating capacity is 50. Is that great news or what? I need God’s intervention to put me on the next flight out to Vegas.

As I slumped exhausted and thoroughly spent in the lounge seat, the thought that was on repeat mode was “How could I be this close and not get on?” Suddenly the voice of reality boomed out. “It doesn’t matter how close you are. As long as you missed it, you’re screwed. No amount of ‘what ifs’ will right the wrong. So beat it and deal. Next time, don’t be this close. Close it.”

It sucks but I appreciate my inner no nonsense voice. It shakes and wakes me up all the time.
(God is good and he put me on the next flight out. And missing the first flight of my life makes me plan all my future US flights in a whole new way. Lots of transit time is required. I missed this flight with a 2 hour buffer. And I didn’t even take a toilet break after customs clearance.)