A few weeks ago I traveled to Israel on a whim for 5 days. I booked my ticket a few days before the flight, packed my carry-on bag, loaded up my iPad with some music and books and headed on a Turkish Airlines flight to a destination that I call home.
I landed and got into my rental car, called my dad to see how he was doing (they were in Israel visiting from China) and set out to meet him and my mom, my twin brother, cousins and aunt who had all congregated to drink beer, eat hot dogs and watch my cousins perform with their band during the annual Oktoberfest festivities in Tel Aviv.
I arrived to the large open outside venue filled with picnic tables and loud Israelis. I located my aunt who, at about 5”11, bright blond hair and a voice that travels from one end of the country to the other, isn’t hard to spot, and proceeded to their table and to the seat that had seemingly been waiting patiently vacant for me.
I sat down.
Everyone looked over and paused in shock. Time stopped still.
“Dana!? What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be in Israel. You were just here with us 2 months ago. What is going on here? I can’t believe it. Is it really you?” was some of their reactions.
My parents leaned over and hugged me, wondering why a “girl looking just like you had been walking right at us” and happily informed me that I could stay with them because they had an extra bedroom (I set that up with the hotel reservationist and made them think it was their “upgrade”. Sneaky Dana).
My 12 year-old cousin, who helps me with fitID and is constantly online and connected with technology, thought it was all normal as we had skyped the previous day and just wanted to talk about when the next mobile update was coming out.
My twin brother was speechless and all smiles.
Yet it was my aunt’s reaction that is the moment I will never forget. She was crying tears of joy and amazement. It hit her: Dana traveled more than 5000 miles to surprise me for my 50th birthday.
She was right.
People that know me know that I’m not great with surprises. I usually get so overly excited that I wind up giving away a hint that gets people guessing what I’m up to.
This time was different. I committed to myself that I would succeed in keeping my emotions in tact and not shed any light about my surprise. This trip was about getting the people closest to me to stop and recognize that they are loved, in a way that they never felt it. I knew that surprising them with my presence would make the greatest impact of all.
My aunt’s words upon saying goodbye to me at the end of the trip were priceless:
“Dana, I have had a lot of great things happen to me in my life. But this is beyond what I could’ve expected for my birthday. You made me feel so loved. You came here for me. No one has ever done that for me and I will forever remember this ”.
Sometimes you have to get out of your own way and venture outside your comfort zone to make someone else feel special.
I leave you with a video to a song that I feel extremely connected to. Ironically, it’s the song I play every single time upon takeoff in an airplane. It gets me to stop, be present and acknowledge how grateful I am to be able to share love with other people. Click here to watch.
Who are you going to show love to today when they least expect it?
Who’s going to cherish your actions and words today?
*Dana’s mission is to empower women worldwide to create the Fit Life that they deserve.
A sought-after Fit Life Coach, she has the innate ability to coach you in reaching your fitness goals and simultaneously drive you into discovering what you truly want in all areas of your life and directing you on how to get there. She is also the Co-Founder and CEO of fitID. Click here to inquire on how to work with Dana in-person in NYC or virtually*