We had an adventure in the Brussels airport that made me think of Plato’s quote: “In life, there are the living ones, the dead ones and the ones who sail”. A quote that would be dear to my grand-father if he was still alive.

I forgot Cristina’s cell phone in the airplane two week ago when we landed in Brussels. After going to the lost and found desk, I was told to fill many forms to report the incident and that someone (or something) would contact us a few days later in case of good news. We waited for a few days without any news and decided to go back to the airport to inquire. We have met many people that day but three stood out of the crowd: one was alive, one was dead and one was sailing.

Before arriving, we check the the iCloud and made sure the iPhone was at the airport and it was the case. We knew that the phone was somewhere around but where? At the lost and found, we met a charming young lady clearly new in the department. Her name was Oli. She was genuinely curious and creative about our issue. She brung us at the back of the office showing the 4 bags of lost cellphones. Ours wasn’t there. She asked questions to Val, her superior, who was clearly overwhelmed with the endless line up of angry and jet lacked people ready to lash at them. Oli was asking questions, looking for answer on her computer… She was alive.

Since Oli couln’t find the phone, we went to another lost and found office (there are three in the airport…) and we met Mona, a senior information desk officer. She looked strong willed and was expressing herself assertively. We explained the situation, she listened. She was quick at conter our points as she had many answers already ready for us. Imagine how many people already came to her with the same issues. Mona knew it and used the set of arguments she had to justify herself. She wasn’t helpful nor creative at all. She was dead. The lost items tacking software on her computer was all she needed to prove that nothing needed to be done. Without surprise, Mona did not find our phone even though it was around. Mona suggested we go to back to Oli and Val’s office so we left Val with her certainties.

Back to Oli’s lost and found desk, Cris started talking to Oli when I saw Val passing by confused. It was probably all the client’s aggressions and all of Oli’s questions that tired her so much. Strangely, her worries showed how aware she was about the craziness of the situation. Even though she looked tired, I could see that something was driving her deep inside. But what was it? It did not look pretty. Not surprising that some hard feelings were arising with her job environnement. She was navigating her world and she was sailing in the the storm of her emotions.

Navigating isn’t pretty. It doesn’t make you happy. As human, we sometimes have the impression that happy is easy. That happy should look like a summer vacation picture in the south of France or on an island in Costa Rica. Sadly it is not. A friend of mine has this Talmud’s quote in her email signature. I love it: “We don’t see the things the way they are, we see things the way we are”. I hope you will have the courage to sail YOUR live the way Val did. It can be in vacation or it can be working but it will probably be messy. Whatever you do, please, do it your beautiful way.

Love.