When Fate Collides Mid-air
During this pandemic I have taken full advantage of the extra time at home to go through my basement and sell a bunch of things online that were taking up space. As many of you know, selling things online is often a frustrating process – people don’t show up when they say they will, they dicker fair prices down to pennies, they require a ten paragraph description and then change their minds!!!
So one morning as I proceeded with my daily posting ritual, one of my offerings for the day was a balsa wood model airplane that had been in the basement for about 30 years and was literally covered in dust. I dusted it off and posted it with that ten paragraph description and began to wait for the interested customers to cue up with their questions!! It wasn’t long before interested inquiries began rolling in but one stood out in particular. It was a gentleman who seemed extremely interested in the airplane so much so, that as we texted back and forth he offered to pay for it above the listed price! However there was one catch, he needed me to mail it to his address in Ontario. Thinking this was likely more of a hassle then worth and would likely not materialize, I didn’t think much more about it. But he continued to keep in touch and showed an increasing interest in it so I decided that if he was willing to trust me with an upfront e- transfer that I would mail it off to him. “Consider it done“, he said and it was sold just like that!!! The next day I sent the model airplane on it’s way across the country and sent him one last message thanking him not only for the transaction but also for his trust in me in a world where trust in others is not always a wise thing to do. He wrote back thanking me and then proceeded to tell me his story. Here is what he said….
I feel I should share my story of why I so wanted this particular plane. My father bought this plane for my 10th birthday. We spent 4 years building the model and finally after much work and anticipation it was finally take-off day! When my father and I went to fly it, we did not realize that the controls were reversed- an option on the controller with a flick of a switch. So in seconds instead of the airplane soaring upwards it went down and was completely destroyed. All the hours spent building it, looking forward to many fun flights together-immediately vanished.
Now many years later, I have a son, and he is turning 10. For his birthday I am giving him your airplane which happens to be the EXACT same model I made with my dad many years ago. So you see, now it’s my turn to build it with my son and get a second chance to fly it. Perhaps now you can see the significance and importance of this airplane is to me. You have made us some pretty happy people out here. I cant thank you enough.
As I read his story my heart was filled with gratitude as I thought about being a small part of such a meaningful story. Something so insignificant to me had such immense significance and meaning to someone else. Being able to bring the two together was totally priceless to me. On top of it all, it also makes for a beautiful story.
Hope you enjoy
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