By 9 am on Sunday morning, my heart was racing, stomach flip-flopping. Thoughts of life and death had already crossed my mind. My face ached from smiling. All of this from a unique birthday present.
Thirty minutes earlier, I was sitting in a 4-seat airplane with a dear friend and my son, cruising down the landing strip in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
The view impacted me. I was beaming from ear to ear and felt simultaneously joyful and at peace.
Then this happened.
* Me to pilot (in French): Excuse me, Monsieur. The door is not closed.
* Pilot: No problem. (Turns back and closes door with his left arm).
Yeah. That.
We flew over a well-known monument, delighting in the privilege of seeing it from a unique perspective.
This certainly counts among one of my “I love Ouagadougou” moments.
I left the airport feeling a renewed sense of adventure and optimism about the years ahead in this exciting location.
Why am I sharing this with you?
* Because we can all use a little adventure in our lives.
* Because shifting our perspective, even for a moment, can be a game changer.
* Because doing something out of the ordinary can help us get out of a rut.
Take a look at how you feel right now about your current situation.
What could you do today to take one step forward? To live well. To work better across cultures. To feed your sense of adventure. Do that. Make a committment to yourself and tell me in the comments below.
I am fairly certain the answer is closer than a 40,000 feet in the air.
