DIVERTED. (OR, MAKING FRIENDS FROM FOG) By Heidi Edwards, PT, MPT, OCS, SCS, COMT, CSCS SPTS Member Heidi Edwards was heading to Team Concept Conference 2014 when her carefully planned schedule took a turn. But was it really for the worse? See how one member turned a challenge into a great experience... and was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime due to her perseverance!
Life is full of diversions. We order pizza after the chicken dinner burns. We resolve to lease the basic car model, but go for the upgrade (I don’t regret getting the sunroof!). Flying to Team Concept Conference was no exception. I, along with a plane full of cowboys, was diverted to Albuquerque after circling over foggy Las Vegas for several minutes. “Sin City” had turned to “Soup City.” Albuquerque International Airport is not your hotbed of activity and flight options. I was told I could try my luck flying standby on flights not headed to Las Vegas. Maybe in two or more stops I could get to my destination. The other option was to cross my fingers for an available flight to Las Vegas the next morning (fog was predicted again). If not by air, then by road! Splitting costs with cowboys anxious to see the National Finals Rodeo, we rented a van. The most backward way ever of getting to Las Vegas had begun!
Our author, SPTS member Heidi Edwards, starts off on an adventure...but not the adventure she planned than morning!
You learn a lot about people during an eight-hour road trip. I learned that my
Welcome to...Arizona? front seat cowgirl should not consume two Red Bulls in an enclosed space! We were thankful to learn that none of us was a serial killer. We also learned a laptop will recharge your phone in the absence of a car charger. But, more importantly, we learned to make the most of the crummy situation. We laughed. We sang along to “Feliz Navidad” and country songs on the radio. We learned each other’s story. We joked about having a re-