Always Up: Quiet Miles
I was supposed to be in El Salvador.
Flight booked.
Hotel secured.
Window seat.
It was meant to be a reset.
I needed one.
The last few weeks have been heavy. Not chaotic. Not dramatic. Just heavy.
An office move that requires attention.
A hearing that matters more than I’d like to admit.
A full weekend coming up with Bria’s volleyball tournament.
Life stacking responsibilities back-to-back.
Nothing I can’t handle.
But enough to make you want to breathe somewhere else.
That’s why I booked it.
Not to celebrate.
Not to prove anything.
Just to step outside the routine for a few days.
Ocean.
New streets.
Different air.
I went through security like I was committed.
At the gate, they were offering $400 for volunteers.
I put my name down.
Not because I didn’t want to go.
Because part of me wondered if I should.
If they needed me to stay, maybe that was the sign.
If they didn’t, I’d board and go quiet for a few days.
They didn’t need volunteers.
So now the decision was mine.
The flight was supposed to leave at 10:40 AM.
Then it moved.
And moved again.
And again.
Four hours of delay.
Four hours to think.
I kept asking myself the same question:
Am I leaving because I need rest…
or because I don’t want to deal with what’s waiting?
That’s an uncomfortable question.
Around hour three, the notification came through the app.
Refunds being offered due to delay.
Basic economy. Nonrefundable. The kind of ticket you accept as a sunk cost the moment you hit purchase.
I almost laughed.
I walked to the gate and said calmly,
“I’m choosing not to travel due to the delay. I’d like a refund.”
Because I booked through Expedia, it wasn’t automatic. For a moment it felt like policy would swallow the opportunity.
Then the message came:
Eligible for refund.
Let me process it.
Full refund.
No penalty.
No hotel charge either.
Only God and good fortune allow a man to get a full refund on a Basic Economy ticket he wasn’t supposed to get back.
I walked out of the airport without boarding.
And I didn’t feel disappointed.
I felt settled.
The getaway would have been nice.
But staying was right.
The office still needs to be handled.
The hearing still matters.
My daughter’s tournament still deserves my full attention.
Those things are not glamorous.
But they are mine.
Quiet Miles isn’t about running from life.
It’s about moving intentionally within it.
Sometimes the trip is necessary.
Sometimes the lesson is that you were never supposed to take it.
And sometimes, the most aligned decision you make is turning around before takeoff.
