I am in the airport after having finally caught an Uber circa 4am. I literally woke up at 3am just so this would not be my predicament. You know. Running late. But at 3:45 when my Uber said it was available and then 5 minutes later said it was not, I knew this morning was going to be a tad stressful. I toggled between the Uber & Lyft apps like I was dating two guys. You know how you keep one on the side just in case? Ok, Ok. Maybe I don’t really do that in real life (I’m too much of a monogamous soul) but it’s a nice thought.

So anyways, my driver came through and by then the light rain had turned into heavy snow. This is in April you guys, but it’s Cleveland, so anything goes. Being the vetted winter soldier that I am, I had changed from my cute classic Jordans to my sturdy snow boots and bundled up into my puffy winter coat in 5 minutes flat. And we were off (my super sweet Uber driver and I) just after 4am. We indulged in great banter. Turns out she’s a writer wanting to publish her book. Turns out I’m a writer with a book publishing company. We swapped cards, pleasantries and laughs until finally I arrive at my destination in enough time to check in, go through security and catch my 6am flight. Or so I think. The airport is poppin’ y’all. It’s swarming with folks. Why is everybody trying to go on vacay in the beginning of April? I guess Spring Break is still a thing.

So anyways, I trudge my luggage all the way to the back of the line while analyzing it in distress. It is a good 30 minute wait and I still need time to go through security! There’s NO WAY I am going to make it. But then I notice several available kiosks at the front of the ticket counter of American Airlines and I’m wondering why no one is using those. Could it be that using a kiosk would boost me to the front of the line? No way. It can’t be that easy. But I tell my line neighbors my plan. They agree to save my spot while I play scout and check with the counter people. Yep, the nice lady with blond hair says, You can check in yourself at the kiosk and we’ll take your bag. Wow. Ok. But even though I give my line neighbors this very pertinent intel, for some strange reason they choose to stay and wait in the line. I take my chances. Not only do I check in my bag at the kiosk but because the flight was packed, AA offers me a free baggage check-in for my overhead bag. Wow. FREE is for me. I do a quick assessment of what was in my personal bag. I.E, Do I have enough clean underwear and change of clothes just in case my bags don’t make it? Concluding that said underwear is safely stored, I agree for my carry-on to be stashed under the plane.

After gathering my tickets, bags and self, I look around for where I’m supposed to go because surely there is a separate line for those of us who “cut” all these other folks waiting in the super long line. But as I peer in confusion at the ticket counter lady from a distance, she directs me to stand in the exact spot that the others would be standing who actually waited in the super long line. And then, literally within minutes, I’m up!

The same nice Blond checks my bags, relieving me of about 60lbs and I’m free! I veer off to my next destination. The security line. Now, if the check-in line was long, the security line is the anaconda of lines. Its going to be a good hour long wait! At this time my flight is boarding in about 20 minutes. I frantically search for someone to talk to because this cannot be the only line available. After hunting down a security guard who expresses that Yes there is another line in the opposite direction that you can go through, I speed my way over to this hidden line that no one seems to know about. I get there and weave through security in, you guessed it, less than 20 minutes.

I rush over to my gate and have about 10 minutes before my group boards the plane. Whew! I made it! 

Oh, but the travel plot thickens. As I’m sitting there all comfortable next to my companions who appear to be a young married couple, I hear the captain announce that Folks, we have some kind of issue on the plane and need the engineer to come out and check us out before we can take off. The couple next to me is feverishly whispering about their connecting flight while I’m thinking about my own. But I lean backward into my seat and tell the guy next to me, Sir, there’s no way we are not going to make our flights. You see, I have went through so much even just to get here. And the fact that I am sitting in this seat, on time, and ready to go, is a sign to me that this trip is going to happen. Nothing can stop it.

And you know what? I was right. I made my connecting flight (and hopefully that couple did too) and all was well. I spent 4 blissful days in Key West for my birthday and lived my best little life.

Now, there was another string of obstacles on the flight home, but we will discuss that another time, LOL. But I wanted to share this story because the word God gave me in the midst of it was “You Have Come Too Far”. Nicole, you have come too far to give up now. You have come too far for you not to make it to your destination. You have come too far.

Have you been there? You are in the thick of these obstacles that keep popping up in your journey. You have planned every detail for the road to be smooth but it is still rocky as hell. You have tried your best to diminish the twists and turns but life just has its own natural hills and valleys. But you know what? Even with all that, you still have a track record of success. You have to, or you wouldn’t have gotten this far today.

My encouragement to all of us is to remember that track record. Because there’s no way God is going to bring us this far to leave us hanging. No. He has every intention of us making it to our destination.

In other news, did you know that I have a monthly newsletter? You can email me if you would like to receive it, or sign up on my website! Just click on “Blog”, go to any blog post, then scroll down until you see “Join Our Newsletter”! I share all of my updates on events I am selling books at and the latest happenings in authorship! You can also view the latest newsletter on my linktree.

Are you on Instagram/Facebook? If so, please reach out! I have started a series called “Word of the Day Wednesdays” where I share 5-10 minutes worth of nuggets that are on my heart, which I hope are encouraging to others on IGTV/FB Live! I have these also posted on my Youtube channel.

Have you read “Stories for the Urban Soul” and are eager to dialogue about your favorite characters, lessons learned, and so much more? Well, now you can download 20 Dialogue questions available on my website to discuss with your friends! Just enter your email in the pop up box and its there!

If you have read “Stories for the (Urban) Soul, please put up an Amazon review here! I was SUPER encouraged and blessed when a new reader put up her review for my 2nd book which you can view here :).

Did you know I have a FREE preview of my book? You can learn more by downloading here. Scroll all the way down and you will see the Kindle Version of the book depicted. As always thank you for your support! SHALOM