INTO THE STORM

Like ships, our serenity is not tested when we are docked at the peaceful shores of our comfort zone. When we venture out to live life to it's fullest, that's when we encounter most of our storms. Whether it is the workplace, at a social gathering or just running to the grocery store, life tests our ability to remain calm and focused on the Highest Power, God.

Recently, a friend and I ventured to the movies to catch an action-packed movie. Anticipation was in the air as we pulled into the parking lot and assured each other that this was going to be a great show. We could almost feel the rockets propelling us out of Earth's atmosphere as we bought our tickets and made our way through the megaplex to our assigned, recliner seats. Who knew that eventually movie theaters would let us relax in the lap of luxury while seeing first-run entertainment.

With the new innovation came a startling development: seat assignments. No longer could we saunter into the theater and select just any old seat. Now, we had to select a seat or have one selected for us by the ticket salesman in the lobby. This seemed like a minor inconvenience, until this particular outing. As we were making our way into the crowded theater and up the aisle to our row, there was a glitch. A couple was sitting right in the two seats that were supposed to belong to my friend and I.

In years past, I have to admit that I may not have been exactly kind as I challenged their rights to these two seats. This time, armed with lessons learned from my sabbatical of the mind, I calmly said, "Pardon me, but I believe these are our seats. We were assigned E1 and E2."

The gentleman in my seat glared back at me and said nothing. I gave him my best, we are determined to sit here look. His wife said, "We'll move. We'll move." She punched him in the arm and he began to replace his seat to the full upright position.

My friend and I sat down in our unfortunately pre-warmed seats. All in all, we quickly forgot about the incident and enjoyed the movie. If I had created a bigger scene or spoken hatefully to the pair, I'm sure I would have thought about the situation for at least half of the movie. As it was, I was ready for take-off and glad to know I hadn't let myself down in the process.