Yes, I’m that guy who walks through the glass doors into the air lounge and gets on the plane before you. I get the good seat up the front and am among the first off the plane. Some of you may hate these card-wielding-flyers as you embark on your occasional interstate trip. But it’s not all rainbows and lollipops.
Confession time:
When I got this same Gold Card in the post last year, I was chuffed because my Status Points accumulated up to a level where some of those simple privileges were allotted to me by the computer that does the calculations on all the time I’ve spent at airports. I have to admit, all those little aforementioned things actually make a big difference when you spend your months in transit. Can I get a frequent flyer witness?
?
But today when my renewed card arrived, I looked at it with some sadness and disgust. Because it represents the weeks I wasn’t home with my family. It represents the meals I missed. The parties I couldn’t attend. The soccer games I couldn’t cheer at. The bedtime stories I couldn’t tell and my wife’s sweet kisses.
Keeping this constant travel up was not sustainable, that is for sure. 3.5 years of weeks and weekends away as I served other families, companies and faith groups took its toll on me last September when I hit a wall of emotional and physical exhaustion. I cancelled trips. I changed the way I operated by leveraging technology. I listened to my body. In the midst of it, I have disappointed some people and my bank account isn’t as full, but I have impressed my family and myself. No regrets.
So, I’m not sure this card will get much of a work out at all. In fact, the thought of sitting in an aeroplane seat with my face 20cm away from some inconsiderate person who must recline their seat for an 80-minute flight makes my heart race… and not in a good way. (Selfish short-haul recliners, 
?you know who you are
??♂️).
Virgin, I do appreciate the status you rewarded me with. Being called a Gold or Platinum partner is nice, but being called ‘Dad’ and ‘Honey’ at home is so much better.
#ThingsThatMatter #ShitThatYouThinkDoes #family#life #VirginAustralia #ItinerantMinistry #status