Hotel fire and other disruptions

When I was filling in for leadership vacancies for a national nonprofit, I’d leave our townhome early in the morning and head to my destination city where I’d stay Monday through Thursday. The longest flight was three-hours from Chicago to Miami/Fort Lauderdale. I’d leave our home around 5am, head to the airport, take the flight, get a rental car, head straight to the office, work a full day, and then check into my hotel. It could sometimes be a grind.

On one of my trips to Fort Lauderdale (really Hollywood, Florida), I noticed a cab driver looking into the trash can positioned just outside the hotel lobby. I took note of it, checked in, headed to my room to drop off my luggage and then headed back out to grab dinner. Something told me to look inside the trash can that no longer held the cab driver’s gaze. To my surprise, it was on fire! I hurried inside to share my discovery. The front desk attendant filled a small, plastic cup with water and started to head outside. Another guest had overheard our conversation and was walking back inside after investigating the trash can fire. He took one look at the plastic cup in the front desk guy’s hand and casually said, “You’re going to need more water than that.” Still makes me laugh hearing such a casual comment about something potentially so serious.

It was moments like that and the day I took the photo attached to this post that kept me going when the travel was depleting. The heart photo was taken in the office parking lot just before I headed inside. The lighting on that heart leaf was too perfect not to capture. Once I started taking photos of hearts, they showed up everywhere. It delighted me every time I saw them, and I kept stopping to take more. These little disruptions gave me space to connect, to take in the beauty and hilarity around me, to restore myself in order to show up fully for the team I was serving.

Have you seen any hearts today?