Tickets? We Don't Need No Tickets!

So I decided to take a break from life and take a little trip.  It started off like any other trip.  A somewhat long and apprehensive drive. Checking in at the counter - Swiping the card.  A quick pat-down. Off to the gate.  We boarded the aircraft - packed in like sardines - and prepared for takeoff.  

The Engine's whine pierced through the hull of the aircraft. Brakes released. And we were off.  Down the runway torwards the ocean. A quick influx of G-force, and the plane was off the ground.  We sailed skyward toward the West. 

 Like any other flight, after about 10minutes the pilot chimed in.  This time was different though.  This time he didn't say we could turn on our portable electronic devices; or that we could move freely about the cabin, but to have our seatbelts fastened while seated.  Someone would be coming through the cabin checking for tickets.

Tickets? Yeah tickets.  Like on the train.  The guy with the funny/sweet hat comes through to check and punch tickets. Not a big deal. Small inconvenience. One big problem. No Ticket.

-Tickets?  

-What tickets?  

-Tickets sir, where are your tickets? 

-I don't need a ticket - I gave it to the guy at the airport. 

-Tickets Sir?! (his voice rising is disgust over my insolence). 

-Look, I dont have any tickets with me. Can't we resolve this once we land?

-No Sir.  I will have to ask you to leave Sir.

-I'm sorry?

-You will have to leave Sir!  Out you go!

-But we're at 13,000feet!

-Have a good day Sir.  Bu-bye.

And with that irritating 2syllable SNL line resinating - I left the aircraft.

What crazy mixed up world this is.

Happy New Year!

LoveLife

Gut Checks to Guest Chicks

So, the New Year's celebrations have come and gone, and things have started to settle down.  For those that I haven't spoken to already, I am still in the US (Refer to my previous post, "the Gut"), putting in a 4week self-inflicted bootcamp.  

This week, however, my routine was interrupted by a surprise phone call.  On the other end was a girl I had never heard, seen, or knew existed before the reluctant "micah?!" that came from the phone.  Olivia came to the US, with a family as a hired nanny, from Melbourne, Australia.  She was now on a 1week vacay from the family, and thus, without shelter.  After staying with someone (whom a friend of hers had recommended) for 2days, things weren't going the way she had anticipated.  She emailed Tommy.  Tommy swam sprint, and mid-distance, freestyle along-side me at The Arizona State University.  He gave her a short list of people who might be in the area.

Gut check.  I had changed my travel plans based, almost entirely, on a "gut feeling".

The phone rung late Monday evening, and Tuesday Olivia was introduced to myself and two more former teammates from ASU - Eric and Joey, as well as three other Lifeguards and a Coastie.  

Now in a much more comfortable environment (her words), LA and the USA have a second chance to shine to one of our international guests.

You never know what might come out of that gut feeling....Go with it - It's usually Right!

Let the Adventures Begin

The Gut...A Small, But Powerful Contributor

Walking along a sidewalk of a busy street you suddenly get the feeling that you should pause for a second to look around.  You follow that feeling, step to the side of the walkway and pause, just as book shelf tumbles onto the sidewalk in front of you, coming from the doorway of a small storefront.

Taking an multiple choice exam, you stumble across a question you have never seen before.  Your hand instantly moves to mark the "B" bubble - but you pause. Retract. Move to the right and fill in the "C" bubble.  You receive your test back the next day.  The answer was "B".  You failed by One-point.

Intuition. Instinct. Gut feeling. 6th Sense.  There are several names for it.  Whatever you call it, there is no denying its existence - or its uncanny aptitude.  Whether it be everyday decisions about what to cook for dinner, or which shirt to wear; Or, about once-in-a-lifetime decisions that present anything but logical solutions.  Go with your Gut!

That "Gut Feeling" is there for a reason.  Who or what put it there is anybody's guess.  Yet, it is there, and it has proven to save more than one man's head.  

When I was in the Training Academy for the LA Co Lifeguards, one of the mantra ingrained in the front of my memory was..."When in doubt, GO!"  Those four words have served me many times over the years on the beach.  However, this is not all-encompassing.  In fact, it is pretty unique to that field of my life, and the opposite is more true outside that environment.

When in Doubt - Don't!  Crossing the street. Eating some questionable produce. Whatever the case may be.  That 'little voice', or gut feeling, is probably right.  The human instinct has kept the species alive for thousands of years.  It might know a thing or two about survival.  Trust it. Go with it.