Day One: Expect Unexpected Blessings

Ah. Vacation mode.

After writing so frequently over the last few weeks out of a need to process what was happening, I was finally able to breathe again. I had the capacity to take in what I was seeing, feeling, eating. And it was okay that the moment was fleeting, that I didn't capture it all on camera or write vivid descriptions so I could replay the scenes for my future self. 

But now I'm hungry for closure. 

I didn't mentally prepare myself for how jarring it would be to return back home after two weeks of being away. Especially the last week (which was mostly work), I didn't really have the energy to debrief with myself at any point in the day. 

I've learned that when I get overstimulated and have no downtime to process, I get really overwhelmed! 

So here's my debrief. And my attempt to hone my writing skills. (I welcome your feedback!)

Day One

18B and 18C. Somehow, I managed to get us seats at the emergency exit which meant aaaall the legroom we could ask for. I've never sat in these seats of privilege before (what I like to call them) - and for free! Red leather covers draped the headrests with Preferred Seating embroidered on them. I couldn't help but feel special. 

When we settled in, I noticed that the stewardess on the other side of the plane kept staring at me. 

But, you know, the only way to know if someone is staring at you is if you're staring back. So, yeah, I was staring back. 

She looked familiar, like a girl I went to middle school with: Hana. That was sixteen years ago. Yikes.

Hana had just moved to Canada and was still learning English. We had a couple of classes together and became friends. 

I remember walking past her once during band practice. 

Woah, I said to myself. 

Most girls I knew played the clarinet or flute. A dainty woodwind that weighs less than two pounds. 

But not Hana. She played the tuba. A delicate girl from Korea playing an instrument triple her size.

Badass. 

"Hey, I think I know that stewardess! She really looks like this girl I used to go to school with. Wait... am I just being racist?" I told my husband.

Suddenly, I realized something: I was hungry. 

I wanted to save my spending for later on our trip but I ate all my snacks before we even got on the plane. So I gave in, stared at the menu for a good ten minutes and ordered a small salad. 

Nine. Freakin'. Dollars. 

One stewardess handed me a small container and plastic cutlery. 

Here's where the unexpected blessing comes in.

I got my credit card out of my wallet when, all of a sudden, the familiar-looking stewardess comes up to me. 

"You're Dorothy, right?" she asked. 

"Hana! How are you?" I smiled through my mask. 

Ah. It was her! I'm not racist! 

We chatted a bit and she asked if we wanted anything else. I said no as I tried to hand her my card.

She shook her head and smiled. "It's okay," she said politely. 

"Woah. Really? Thank you so much!"  

I was shocked. All my wondering about how God was going to provide for us on this trip melted away. This was God's provision, his reminder that he's taking care of us in details as small as free food.

I started to eat my salad when she came back and handed me a KitKat, gummies and a pack of cookies. 

Free of charge.

"Here!" Her eyes smiled back at me. Hana always had kind eyes. 

I looked up at her in disbelief. It happened so fast I didn't have time to tell her how thankful we were for her kindness. (You'll learn I'm quite slow at processing)

I was surprised she even recognized me through my mask. Recycled air on a plane is the push I need to wear a mask in a post-pandemic-restriction world. I would really rather not smell fart from row 32. 

"You have a distinct face," my husband said.

"A distinct face? What does that even mean?" 

"I don't know how to explain it. You just do."

A strange comment I'd never heard before. I guess it's supposed to be flattering.

This vacation felt like a luxury. 

I guess any type of leisurely travel is a luxury. But part of me felt guilty for spending so much money and for, well, racking up our credit card bills to go on this vacation.

I had told myself (and my husband) that travel would be the one thing I wouldn't mind going into debt over. But now that we were in it... well, it turns out I wasn't so comfortable with it after all. 

But God graciously provides.

But God is a phrase I hear a lot as a Christian. It's a reminder that even in my folly - my overspending and my maybe-not-so-wise decision-making - that God is gracious to provide what we need exactly when we need it. 

This time, he chose to use Hana's kindness and free snacks to show me that I can expect unexpected blessings. Just as he's proven more times than I can count this year alone. And we're only 38 days in.

327 days more and eternity of expecting unexpected blessings.

Hana is a pseudonym.