By JANET HART LEONARD
From the Hart
Let’s just say I have had more than my fair share of turbulent traveling adventures, both in the air and on the road.
In booking our Fourth of July trip to Tampa, I figured I had acquired not only a few frequent flyer miles but a few “I hope this never happens again” miles. Hopefully, I had paid for my flight and my traveling woes in full.
Hold my sweet tea! I was wrong.
I watched the weather forecast and knew there were storms headed to Tampa about the time I was to land. Fingers crossed.
And so it was that I left Indy “on time” on Tuesday and we landed a few minutes early. YES! No glitches. No delays. I was walking on easy street through the airport.
As I rode the tram from the gates to the main terminal, I saw a huge bolt of lightning flash from the sky to the tarmac. Whew! I knew we were spared not being able to land by just minutes.
I got to the luggage carousel with the full flight of travelers from our plane. About half of the passengers grabbed their luggage before the carousel came to an abrupt halt. We waited. We waited some more.
And the thunder rolled.
“Ladies and gentlemen, due to lightning strikes in the immediate area of the airport we cannot allow our luggage handlers to finish unloading your luggage at this time. We appreciate your patience.”
Of course, I was not one of the lucky ones. It became a game of musical chairs as about 100 of us scrambled to find a comfortable seat and plug in to charge our phones. Surely this storm would pass quickly … at least we hoped so.
Emily was waiting in the cell lot. “Don’t worry, Mom, I’m okay to wait.”
I grabbed my laptop to check on the world of Facebook and answer a few emails. I waited as patiently as possible. I felt for the young, very pregnant, mother who was traveling by herself with a toddler. The little girl had gotten her second wind and was ready to run a marathon while her mother just wanted to find a corner and take a long summer’s nap.
After 90 minutes, we heard the glorious roar and squeaks of the luggage carousel beckoning us back to run and grab and go!
There was my oh-so-beautiful gray with a waterfall design luggage, riding the carousel and dripping with raindrops.
Time to text Emily and head to our house for a few days.
I knew what my column would be about this week. You all need a bit of laughter and exercise as you shake your head reading about my traveling woes.
Now to get Chuck here the next night … stay tuned and in a holding position for that story next week. Let’s just say he had a bit of an “adventure” himself.
Janet Hart Leonard can be contacted at janethartleonard@gmail.com or followed on Facebook or Instagram (@janethartleonard). Visit janethartleonard.com.