Dear Friend,
Almost 2 years ago I was on a plane and before we left the airport the pilot came on the intercom and said:
“Hi folks, I need to know if there are two people who DO NOT want to go where they are going.”
Immediately about 50 hands went up and the plane erupted in laughter. The hands went back down and the flight attendant's chime went off for the few people who were actually serious. The pilot was readjusting the plane's weight so that we could get up into the air. A little scary if you think about it because how did he even know how much those two people weighed?
I thought about that pilot's question for about a week and how many people had raised their hands. I'd raised my hand in jest initially but on the return flight I really did NOT want to be going where I was going. That one question by that pilot was a catalyst for my family selling all our belongings and moving across the country to this small town we now live in. I even wrote down his name in my journal: Captain Jeff Overton. Thank you Captain Overton.
I have an assignment for you this week...I'm passing Captain Overton's question along. Sit down with your family and ask:
"Is there anyone here who does not want to be on this flight?"
You might get a few weird looks so you'll probably have to use more specify questions instead of the flight metaphor: Is everyone okay with the direction we are headed? What are we missing? What baggage do we need to offload? What changes do we need to bring more joy into our lives? Overloaded flights never end well.
Share with your friends as well. Sometimes we just need someone to ask us the question.
Love,
Ashley
P.S. If you've received this letter secondhand, you can leave your email address here to receive my weekly letters. You can read the archives here.