One year, I happened to follow a group of research and development supervisors and the owner on a business trip.
On our return trip, we stopped at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, and suddenly, a huge thunderstorm came in. All flights were cancelled.
And being the most junior staff, I even got lost and couldn’t reach my supervisors! !

At that time, our luggage was all checked-in, and there were no flights that we could stand by for.
I took the small toiletries bag the airport gave us, and just stared ahead blankly in the hall.

The owner of the business group was staying in Chicago for two more days, as he had other arrangements.
So I gathered what courage I could and dialed the phone:

“Boss, I am stuck at the airport. Would it be possible for you to come pick me up and look for a hotel room downtown?”
Boss was probably taking a nap, so he hesitated for three seconds and said, “Oh, okay, sure~”
Then he told me where I should wait for him. A few minutes later, the boss was there to pick me up.

I didn’t have much of business travel experience, and it was also my first time in the city. The incident showed that I had pretty poor adaptability.
After we found a hotel for me to stay over, the boss asked how I was planning to go to the airport the next morning.
“I’ll probably ask the receptionist to call a cab for me, or I’ll see if there is an airport shuttle bus,” I said.
Boss thought for a while and said, “I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning, and we can have a chat on the way.”
The next morning, the sky was incredibly clear; the huge thunderstorm yesterday seemed like just a dream.
During the short half hour ride, the boss had not only taught me the direction in which I should prepare for my work, he also listened to all the questions which I was afraid to raise, and graciously shared his thoughts.

At that time, I had a really close colleague who was going through a professional bottleneck period, so I also seized the opportunity and asked him, “Boss, would you have time to chat with a certain colleague?”
Boss, with one hand on the steering wheel, and the other hand drinking coffee, nodded assuredly, “Sure, have him make an appointment with my secretary.”
Boss didn’t ask for my reasons, but whenever a colleague needs his opinion, he offers his thoughts. I was deeply impressed by his attitude.

At the boarding gate, I finally met my supervisors, whom I had lost contact with yesterday, and it turned out that they had slept at the airport for the night.
They said I was the luckiest of them all.
How thankful I was for the heavy thunderstorm that day!