I travel a lot…and a lot would probably be an understatement considering there isn’t a week of the year I’m not going somewhere…so you can understand that when it comes to flying from city to city I don’t get shook up about the bumps and dips the plane makes when we hit turbulence. It’s just routine.

Last night flying from Baltimore to Las Vegas there were massive thunderstorms coming through the area and my plane was grounded for 3 hours on the tarmac. Rain pelting the small airplane windows and lighting blowing the backup power out didn’t shake me. The pilot comes on the intercom “Traffic control has given us a 5 minute window for take-off or we’ll have to go back to the gate and cancel the flight, we’re going to take the opportunity so fasten your seat belts and put away all electronic devices”.

Great! I’ll be able to make it to my 4 day conference, see old friends and meet new ones in an industry of coaching that I love.

It wasn’t 2 minutes into the flight I regretted that optimism. There was an unexpected storm cell at the end of the runway that we hit. The plane and all of the passengers inside were being knocked from one side to the other, the engines were screaming along with every passenger. The flight attendants were strapped in and hugging one another, and my seat mate and I held hands and prayed in between the “Oh My God’s” that were coming out of my mouth.

Scared does not describe the feeling. My life did not flash before my eyes, regrets did not come close to entering my thinking, the only thing I could think of was how do I survive and I want to text Randy that I loved him.

I’m trying to reach my phone between the jolts and thinking “we’re not far off the ground yet the text will probably go through”, when the engines begin to stall, the plane is going down.

“Please God don’t let it hurt!” Please let my son and my family know I love them”.

All of the sudden....Silence

No one was screaming, no more crying…eerie silence…holding on was the only thing to do.

By the grace of God we hit an updraft, the engines screamed alive and we started climbing. Still no sounds, holding on, jumping, jarring, rattling, shaking. We were going to come out of it and we did. Four hours later we landed in Las Vegas where the entire crew and passengers clapped at being safe on the ground.

But the stories not over, something happened on that plane. The man across the aisle from me burst into tears, the flight attendants were more caring, the pilots came out one at a time to take a sigh of relief before settling in to the rest of the flight.

A second chance was granted.

But then something strange began to happen today…I woke up with a totally new perspective on my life and my business. And because of that new perspective wouldn’t you know it…God and the universe responded with some very strange happenings.

My email, my phone, and Facebook started blowing up and the conversations that ensued are all those of healing old stuff, old wounds, acceptance of others and others accepting me, love, moving forward with clarity, strength and power. It’s as though the immense emotion and intense adrenaline of that plane ride opened a wave of JOY in my life…joy in my body, joy in my mind and in my spirit.

Joy isn’t a word I have used or felt much in my life. I would use words like happy, excited, loving, or grateful but never joy. That’s a word you see on Christmas cards and don’t quite know what it has to do with Christmas. Today I feel JOY.

God only knows what will happen next to any of us. I don’t wish for a horrific event to happen in your life, but my hope is that this story might inspire you to look at your 2nd chance….

Quit f’in around. Be Strong, Be Powerful, Be Appreciative, Be Smart, Be Loving, Be Supportive, Be Mature, Be a Great Spouse, Be a Great Business person, Be Genuine, Be Caring…and feel JOY.

That’s all I’ve got….