The Power of Plan B: How the Right People Make the Best Detours!

Sometimes, having a Plan B brings more value than sticking to the original Plan A. This past Thursday night was a prime example of this for me. I took an afternoon flight from Love Field in Dallas to Orlando, anticipating a smooth flight with no hiccups.  However, around two hours into the flight, I sensed something wasn’t quite right.  I could hear the engine slowing down, and the plane seemed to be in a holding position. As I typically do when these moments of “hmmmm” hit me, I pulled up the flight path on my Southwest app only to see that we were circling off the coast of Panama City.

Then came the dreaded announcement from the flight attendant: “Folks, I have some bad news. We’re in a holding pattern due to storms in Orlando. Please keep your seatbelts fastened, and we’ll hopefully have you on the ground soon.” For the next hour, we continued doing slow circles in the sky.  In a weird way, it was kind of fun to watch the pattern from the app.  Fifty minutes later, the attendant came back on: “The weather’s worsened in Orlando, and we’re running low on fuel. We’ll be diverting to Tampa to refuel. Please prepare for landing.” 

Now, knowing there was no clear timeline for when we’d leave Tampa, I quickly pulled up the Avis app and booked a rental car within minutes. My Plan A of flying into Orlando had just pivoted into Plan B: driving from Tampa to Orlando. Sometimes you have to adapt and go with the flow versus going into panic & stress mode.

Here’s a little side note that I found to be very interesting.  As soon as the wheels touched down in Tampa, the passenger next to me, a woman in her early 30’s, made a call to someone in her circles and said, “We made an emergency landing in Tampa.” Her words gave me great perspective. From my point of view, this was no emergency but just a pivot from the original plan due to bad weather.  From her perspective this was a dramatic turn of events, and I realized how differently we all interpret the same situation. Perspective is everything. For the rest of her life, she might tell the story of an "emergency" landing. Meanwhile, I’ll share my experience of an inconvenient, but manageable, detour that led to an unexpectedly peaceful drive to Orlando.  I wonder how many different stories will be told by the other 180 plus passengers on this flight based on their perspective. 

After landing, I hopped into my rental car and enjoyed a quiet drive. The next morning I got up early, drove back to the Orlando airport to collect my luggage, and then headed back to Tampa for lunch with my dear friend, Angelett Johnson . Little did I know that this “Plan B” would create a great story for our lunch conversation.

Now, because my luggage had all my toiletries, including my makeup, comb, brush, etc., I had to meet Angelett without makeup and with hair that looked a bit... well, let’s say less-than-stellar! I joked with her about the fact that I had a brand-new makeup foundation, but I couldn’t even figure out how to open the container. But that’s the beauty of strong relationships!  Angelett and I have known each other for years, and I felt comfortable enough to be my authentic self, bare-faced, lackluster hair and all.

We had originally planned to meet at Panera but it was overcrowded with two volleyball teams filling the place during the lunch hour.  That led to another pivot as we took a walk to a nearby tavern. Our one hour lunch turned into a two hour deep conversation full of laughs, inspiration, and connection. Angelett is always a joy to talk with and I think we could have chatted until the evening hour had our schedules allowed.  I left feeling grateful for the unexpected twists that brought us to that moment and I was so glad to have the opportunity to spend time with her. 

The moral of the story? When you pivot, good things happen. Life is full of changes and curveballs, but the way you handle those shifts is entirely up to you. My detour from Plan A to Plan B not only gave me a peaceful road trip but also a memorable lunch with a wonderful friend. So, here’s to embracing change, laughing at the little things, and enjoying the ride.

Thank you Angelett, for the laughter and friendship this past Friday. Cheers to Plan B!