I’m smelly in Morocco. I try not to complain, it doesn’t help anything ever and I like to see the cup half full but I admit, I fail miserably at this when it comes to flying. Well, the process of flying. The lines, the forms, the tickets, security, more lines, delays, strikes, no internet, checking my passport a million times, trying to find my yellow fever card at the bottom of my bag, weighed down by bags and then the worst, missing a flight. So, I just missed a flight. I was heading from Liberia to Berlin where a kind group was flying me to speak at a conference. After a night without sleep and being hot and sweaty, when the man at the ticket counter said “I’m sorry ma’m there’s no flight that will get you to you talk in time” I did what every strong, grown, problem solver would do, I cried. I was embarrassed but I couldn’t hold it back. Soon the people around me were negotiating with the man for me trying to push him to find a flight. A woman was giving me life advice, “Life will keep going and this will be ok” while putting her hand on my back. Another offered me a coffee. And soon I had a flight, I’m not making it to my speech but I got a flight. The young woman who worked at the airline, Sarah, called her mom and brother to pick me up at the train station to let me stay with them at their home! Another airline ticket guy walked me to train station in the airport bought my ticket and gave me the change because I had no Moroccan money.

I went to the families home. The brother carried my bags, the mother cooked for me, and they gave up a bedroom for me to sleep in their simple, warm, welcoming and full of love home!

I’m back on the train to get my flight to go home and that lady was right, life does keep moving on, it is ok. And it does seem like what Jewel said, “In the end only kindness matters.” #awesomepeople #bekind #kindnessmakeslifebetter