TSA

On the way home. At the airport, TSA flagged my bags for a search. My sister-in-law had given me some coffee for Christmas. Security took it out and searched it. Thank goodness it came back fine. One night while we were waiting for friends for dinner. We stopped in a nice local toy store. I purchased a zen garden. The garden triggered security as well. TSA took out my garden and had to open the sand to test it. Once the blue dye was poured into the sand, it was ruined. I just had TSA throw away the entire garden. Several days earlier, I went through security at another airport, and my bags were not searched. Same bags, same material, no check? Why is this? I don’t know. I wasn’t happy. Tossing away my Zen garden made me angry, which is the point of needing a Zen garden in the first place. To destress from stressful situations.

 I was upset. So I had to make a choice. Be irritated for the next four and a half hours, on the plane ride home or reframe the situation. Reframe won.The garden was only 27.00. The local toy store was still supported, and I did get to keep my coffee. When I got to the gate, my wife and son told me they had ordered a new zen garden for me. In the end, it turned out ok. I am thankful to my wife and son for the reframe, and now I know. I won’t buy coffee or zen gardens on any trips in the future. We will encounter circumstances we don’t desire, but we can reframe and make choices that benefit us. Instead of allowing your anger to consume you or others, make a different choice. I could have yelled and screamed, but that would have meant nothing. My garden still needed to be searched, and the TSA agent was doing his job. So next time you are faced with an upsetting situation, choose to reframe.