Airport Delay and the Things We Can't Control

Today, as I was about to fly to another island near Panay, my flight was delayed because of the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon.

A surprise from a volcano.

While waiting at the airport, the flight attendant announced that they would be giving passengers free snacks because of the delay.

That simple announcement made me reflect on something.

The situation.

The place.

The people around us.

The events happening.

All of these influence how we react.

But above all of them is something even more powerful:

Imagine this.

You have an important meeting.

It's time-sensitive.

Missing it could cost you a business opportunity or something important.

Then your flight gets delayed.

The airline hands you a bottled water and a pack of cookies.

Your first thought might be:

You become frustrated.

Angry.

You don't even notice the free snack anymore because your attention is locked onto what you've lost -- your priceless time.

The rest of your day is ruined.

Now imagine another scenario.

You're going on vacation.

You planned ahead.

You already accepted that delays can happen because travel is unpredictable.

The same delay happens.

The same bottled water.

The same cookies.

But this time your reaction is different.

Nothing changed except your perspective.

So what if we swap the reactions?

Is that possible?

I think it is.

The biggest factor behind our emotions isn't always the situation itself.

It's how we respond to the situation.

Yes, circumstances matter.

Yes, some delays have real consequences.

But many of the emotions we experience come from the story we immediately tell ourselves about what's happening.

If we expect life to always go according to plan, then every disruption feels like an attack.

But if we accept that uncertainty is part of life, then surprises become easier to carry.

Not pleasant.

Just easier.

That doesn't mean we should expect every possible worst-case scenario.

Life would become exhausting if we constantly anticipated disaster.

The future is uncertain.

We can't predict everything.

But when something unexpected finally happens, we still have one thing left under our control:

Our response.

Maybe that's where peace comes from.

Not from controlling life.

But from learning to control ourselves when life refuses to cooperate.

So for now, while waiting for the next announcement, I'll just enjoy my complimentary bottled water—probably with a little microplastic—and my sugary cookies with an extra serving of processed ingredients.

Not exactly a health meal.

But at least it's free.

And at least the volcano gave me something to write about.