First time missing a flight? Here's exactly what to do — from someone who learned in Miami

Missed my first flight today ever.

Still so dumbfounded by the situation. We stood in line for over an hour and the WestJet staff were so slow. They told us we were in the right line and we kept asking if we should go over to Delta check in. They said no and held our passports for another 30 minutes.

Ahhh.

Now on to book another hotel. Like I can't even.

So here's what nobody tells you about missing a flight — your brain goes into this weird survival mode where you're furious and panicking and also somehow laughing because what else are you supposed to do. We're standing at the counter watching them type and I'm doing the math in my head on rebooking and new hotels and I can feel my blood pressure doing things it shouldn't be doing.

We rebooked. Found a hotel. Got there and I just stood in the lobby for a second like... ok. This is where we are now. This is the plan.

And then something shifted. I changed into my swimsuit. Walked down to the pool. Ordered a cocktail. Sat in a lounger and watched funny cat videos on my phone for two hours straight.

And it was the most relaxing evening after the most stressful day. Like my body just gave up being stressed and went straight to pool mode. No flight to catch. No schedule. Nothing I could do about any of it. Just me and a cocktail and cats falling off things on the internet.

I think there's something to that. The day completely fell apart and the evening that came out of it was one I actually needed. I would never have given myself permission to just do nothing like that if the original plan had worked.

Still mad at WestJet though. That part hasn't healed.