MountainWings A MountainWings Moment
#9286 Wings Over The Mountains of Life



Laptopless
=======

"Loading Zone Five now," the loudspeaker blared as the gate
agent announced that my flight to Baltimore from Tampa was
loading. I was seated in Zone Five.

Airlines generally load by zones so there is less congestion in
the airplane aisles.

I was working at one of the workstations at the gate. Tampa
International had thoughtfully provided plenty of small work
booths that had ample power outlets for people to plug in
whatever electronic devices they were hauling around. At many
airports, trying to find an electrical outlet is a treasure hunt.

I unplugged my laptop, turned it off, and packed my various
cords into my laptop briefcase. Phone, phone-to-computer cord,
notebook power adapter were neatly packed away into the
accessory pouch of the briefcase.

I got to my seat - row 40, seat D - and settled in. Normally I
would wait until the plane reached a certain altitude before
turning the notebook on, but I figured that I would finish the
project that I was working on while everyone finished boarding.
So before putting my briefcase in the overhead storage bin, I
opened the zipper to take my notebook out.

My notebook is normally in the padded pouch that I keep it in.
It wasn't there!

Perhaps as I put it in the briefcase, I accidently put in it
behind the padded pouch. No, it wasn't there either.

I looked in every zippered pouch and slot in the briefcase,
just knowing the laptop HAD to be there. After patting each
side and feeling only the flat softness of the laptopless
carrying case, the sinking realization hit me that I had left
the laptop at the waiting area workstation.

People were still boarding the aircraft and the aisle was
full. I was at the back of the plane. If it was a choice
between missing my laptop and missing the plane, then I would
just miss the plane, although I figured I did have plenty of
time to go and get my laptop. If it was still there.

So I began to ease my way forward, slipping as gently as I
could past passengers moving in the opposite direction through
the narrow aisles.

As I passed by a particularly clogging group, I said,
"Excuse me but I left my laptop in the gate waiting area."

I exited the plane and walked up the breezeway to the gate.
The gate agent held my boarding pass as I went to check for the
laptop.

The familiar steel gray case beckoned to me as I spied it at
the work booth. With an audible sigh of relief, I picked it up
and headed back aboard.

Just as I was passing by the gate agent, a lady rushed out
saying, "I left my laptop over there!" pointing to where she
was sitting at the gate area.

I stood there in amazement.

I travel a lot and I had NEVER left my laptop anywhere. At the
very time that I had left my laptop, another lady had left
hers. It was an amazing coincidence.

I waited until she had retrieved her laptop and said as she
approached, "It must be something in the air, both of us left
our laptops."

Then she said, "I didn't realize that I had left my laptop
until I heard you say as you went by that you had left yours.
I then realized that I didn't have mine either."

She then went on to explain how all of her important work and
notes were on her laptop and how desperately she needed it.

I just don't believe in coincidences. Sometimes we have to go
through rough situations just to remind others and to serve as
examples, even if it's a bad example.

Often the pain that you bear has reason.
Even when the pain falls squarely in your lap...top.

~A MountainWings Original~


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