When something goes very wrong, there is a temptation to dive into the depths of what-ifs and second-guessing choices along the way. In hind-sight there are always different paths or actions that could have been taken that could have led to a happier result.

If everything had played out according to plan my husband and I, my son and his wife, and my youngest daughter would all be in Cancun right now, sharing a large and lovely beach-side condo with my oldest daughter and her family.   Instead, the five of us are back in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin, while my daughter and family are in Cancun. 

IF I had made different flight choices;, IF our flight out of O’Hare had not had mechanical issues, IF there hadn’t been so many rebooked flights ahead of us due to weather;  we would ALL be there.  It can drive you absolutely crazy thinking about it.

This was to have been a once-in-a-lifetime special vacation for myself and my offspring, along with their spouses and kids.  Today, we are all mourning the loss of the extended family time in paradise. 

While my oldest daughter and family did make it to Cancun, it is turning out to be a very different vacation than the one they were anticipating – with no other family members to join on excursions, play games with during the many rainy days, or to generally visit with them and help with their three young children.

My sister, who lives many states away, put things in perspective for me last night as we chatted by phone.  Shit Happens.  There are far more tragic events that happen due to moments and decisions we can never recall.  We do our best to pick up the pieces and move on.  

In the bigger picture, the loss of the vacation is sad, but not tragic. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say there is a silver-lining, there were many silvery moments:

• A tearful heart-to-heart with my son (who I don’t see often enough) in the lobby of the Chicago hotel at 2 am Christmas Day
• Hearing my daughter-in-law’s laugh – which is always amazing (before the flight got cancelled of course)
• My husband staying cool and collected through hours of frustrating (and ultimately unsuccessful) negotiations with the airline to get rebooked
• Making a pinky-promise with my youngest daughter at the bar of the hotel  (I cannot divulge the terms)
• Sitting on my daughter-in-law’s lap on the overly crowded hotel shuttle and enjoying a few laughs with perfect strangers in the process
• Sharing jackets and shoes with my husband and daughter as we dealt with much more exposure to the bitter cold than I was prepared for  
• A Christmas day buffet breakfast in the hotel, where the five of us exchanged a few gifts and did our best to salvage some Christmas cheer, albeit amid some tears.
• My impromptu gift to my kids was a tennis ball with ‘Xmas 2022, F**k Delta’ written on it. (The TRIP was my real gift… *sigh*)
• The FaceTime call with our family members in Cancun – the highlight of which was the huge smile that came over the two-year olds face when he saw us on screen. (OK, that one still makes me tear up a little bit)
• The people we met along the way that empathized and offered support:
  • The driver who helped cram way too many people  (and their luggage) on the inadequately small shuttle from the airport
  • The Hotel staff who got called into work on Christmas eve due to the influx of disgruntled passengers dumped on them last-minute-including the sole waiter who dashed around setting up a buffet for 200 people.
  • The patient hotel clerk who gave me supplies and empathy during my middle of the night pity-party
  • The hotel maid with whom I commiserated at 6 am (I hope her daughter made it from Denver)
  • The brother and sister-in-law that invited Dan and I over for an impromptu leftover Christmas dinner – recognizing we were returning to a house devoid of food on Christmas evening.  

I am writing this the morning after Christmas day. Eventually my emotional hangover will ease and the knot in my tummy will loosen.  Today, we will get groceries, fetch our mutt from doggie day car, unpack and resume our daily lives.  The battle with Delta for refunds/compensation has begun. Live goes on, even when Shit Happens.