I recently returned from a trip to the Lower forty-eight. Those of us who live in the Air Crossroads of the World, know that to get anywhere quickly outside our own glorious Alaska, you must fly.

As I sat in the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport awaiting my boarding call, I pulled out my phone and began to check my business email, as is my habit. Then I remembered my pledge to “unplug” on this trip. (Every now and then, you must take a break from work to stay fresh!)

I put my phone away and began to “people watch.” I have been through this airport many times over the years, but this was the first time I actually paid attention to the hurried bustling going on around me.

The Ted Stevens Airport is a place of arrivals and departures. The airport itself is not the final destination for any traveler; it is a place where people pass through on their way to someplace else. This is what I noticed about the people there that day:

• They came to the airport prepared to travel. They brought essentials (By essentials, I mean they brought things they deemed important or necessary for their journey, be it allergy medicine or gummy bears. Everyone’s essentials were different.) They dressed for the journey and had completed all the necessary requirements to purchase a ticket and board an aircraft.

• I could tell some were more comfortable with the actual experience of flying than others – but even the flying newbies set their jitters aside and flew anyway.

• The airport personnel made the entire experience as safe and stress-free as possible so that all travelers – no matter their destination or circumstance – had a positive experience.

And that’s when this realization hit me: my business – the Law Office of Constance A. Aschenbrenner – serves the same function as the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. We both exist to help people travel through this life to their varied destinations as stress-free, safe and confident as possible.

Wow. Had I spent those few minutes waiting to board the plane browsing my email, I would have missed that simple but profound truth! So, what parallels did I draw?

1. Just like the people who come to the airport, my clients are diverse. Their circumstances are different. They have different desires, destinations, and expectations about how they want to get there.

1. The business of estate planning has as many complex regulations and legalities as aviation. The clients who come to my office want a professional – someone experienced in life and the law – to ensure they have a successful trip through this life. Likewise, travelers who come to the Ted Stevens Airport trust the pilots, flight crew, maintenance personnel and other aviation professionals to get them to their destination safely.

1. People expect airlines and estate planning attorneys to have the experience to successfully navigate through whatever turbulence comes their way – be it in the skies or in life.

I chewed on my new realization and the parallels I discovered for days. It has made me more aware of the kind of experience I want to create for my clients and how I want to serve my friends and neighbors in Anchorage.

I am back in my office now, back in the daily groove, but every time I see a jet fly overhead it reminds me of what I learned that day sitting in the airport.

I would love to help you navigate the challenges, expectations and turbulence in your own life and would like the opportunity to meet you.

If you would like to sit down and discuss your destination and ideas about how you’d like to get there, give me a call at (907)334-0902. We’ll set up a time for a Vision Session and explore what your journey could look like!