Epiphany #10: Attempted Theft of Joy

I prayed for a safe journey from Dec. 19 to Dec. 30, prompted by UPS Flight 2976 and AA 5342. My round-trip flights were on time with no delays or gate changes, and there was no one seated next to me on the first flight. All operations went swimmingly. That said, on my return flight, I had to sit next to a person that could have taken up 2 seats. My elbow was slightly in their ribs the entire time. I felt more uncomfortable for them than I did for myself. Also, when we landed and departed, I had trouble finding my way out of DFW because they'd remodeled since the last time I traveled through. I stopped by another gate to ask for directions out of the airport, and I was met with the rudest interaction I've experienced in as long as I can remember. The person there flat-out ignored me and didn't even acknowledge my existence. I was looking at them face-to-face, and they just kept typing away on whatever they were working on. I don't ever remember going up to someone and saying, "Excuse me, ma'am," and flat out being ignored is if I wasn't even occupying the same physical space as them. I thought maybe she needed to type something before she forgot like I have to do at my own occupation at times when someone comes up to my workstation to verbally inquire about something. But, I actually verbalize to them that's what I'm doing. "Let me just type this one last thing and then you have my undivided attention," I'll say politely. And yet, I waited there awkwardly. I wanted to say "Excuse me, ma'am" again, but there's no way she didn't hear me the first time, and I was less than 5 feet away from them. So, even if they happened to not hear me, they definitely knew I was in their peripheral. I wasn't going to give them the sick satisfaction of purposefully not acknowledging someone's very existence. And so, I just walked away without saying another word. At first, I was utterly incensed, but then I remembered how grateful I was to The Maker when we touched down safely on the runway. I know flying is safe, but the string of aviation accidents and mishaps throughout 2025 were enough to make even a seasoned flyer uneasy. There were no terror attacks, bird strikes, mass shootings, belligerent passengers, delayed flights, engine separations, or mid-air collisions, and I remember being so grateful and joyful about that right up until I couldn't find my way out of the airport and ended up running into her. It was at that moment that I knew I was being tested. For, it's easy to be grateful and to give thanks whenever times are easy and when there's no discomfort. Furthermore, it's easy to forget how we were just blessed with what we asked for the minute something happens that we don't like. I could either let this situation distract me from focusing on being grateful at a prayer answered, or I could fixate on the joy a prayer answered evokes. I quickly discarded my dissatisfaction. I'm trying as hard as I can at this period of my life to discard practices and emotions that no longer or have never served me. It was then I just happened to spot an airport janitor who was more than happy to walk me to the exit. On the way there, I had a delightful conversation with this brother about how people have become so void of empathy and willingness to connect on a profound level these days. Moreover, as I thought about it on my Lyft ride home, maybe I, too, had partook in the act of having a lack of empathy. I don't know what that woman was going through. Maybe she was at her wits’ end about something. Maybe she just received some horrible news and was still trying to process it. My conversation with the janitor made me want to lift up a prayer for her. That said, the next time someone or something irritates you or you feel like you're having a bad day, ask yourself, is this situation being put here to steal the joy of an answered prayer? From the Soul,

📕“” Epiphany #10: Attempted Theft of Joy”” is a piece from my upcoming published anthology, “Return from the Pale Trail: Gifts to Humanity We’ve Been Taught to Forget.” I’m ecstatic to share this wonderful piece of literature with the family. I hope you all enjoy. Until then, feel free to check out my other published materials.