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There are many perks to traveling with commercial airlines. There are never any delays. Fellow passengers are always respectful to other passengers and staff. Rudeness is replaced with manners and civility above 10,000 feet and stays until you exit at your destination. The seats have ample room for my 6’5” frame, and the person in front of me never leans their seat back.

If you can relate to that description of flying, consider yourself a unicorn. On Saturday, a thunderstorm parked over the Charlotte airport, delaying entry and exit. While my flight was circling the sky for ninety minutes, waiting to land, the mood in the plane went from relaxed to tense. Many people started to panic about their connecting flights. 

The flight crew tried to quell the rising tide of anxiety by explaining that most connecting flights would be delayed, too. Logically, this should assuage most people. But logic is another thing in short supply these days. 

The pilot finally announced that it was clear to land, to the relief of most passengers. I looked down at my feet and saw my black carry-on bag moving side to side. An eight-week-old golden retriever puppy was starting to get restless, and the landing couldn’t come soon enough.

The puppy stayed quiet during the taxi to our gate, but his cute eyes had the same look as all the other passengers on the plane, saying, “Get me out of here!”

Walking out of the plane, I was relieved to see I did not miss the final flight to Greenville. Making my way through the terminal, I took a seat at the next gate and looked around at a crowd of worried people: people on standby hoping to get home, parents weary from travel with young kids who had reached their limit. The gates looked like a piece of art that could be titled “Modern Misery.”

In this helpless situation, I did the best thing I knew to do. I took the puppy out of the carry-on bag and held him on my lap. 

You would have thought I released a ray of sunshine into the terminal. The kids that were spiraling down the drain immediately smiled and ran over to pet the puppy. Stand-by passengers stood by me to pet his ears and feel some joy in a tense situation. Random strangers came over to tell stories about their dogs that they were excited to get home to see. 

In a hectic terminal, our new Golden Retriever, Rusty, brought peace to the surrounding gates. It’s hard not to smile when you see a tail wag 100 times a minute as a puppy tries to lick a kid’s face. Eventually, Rusty and I made it home. Our kids were surprised, and my wife melted at the sight of the little red dog. 

So, if you see me around with a smile on my face, it’s no secret. I’ve got a puppy that brightened up an airplane terminal living in my house. It’s hard to be mad when you can pet a puppy.