Worth a While

"The secret of patience is doing something in the meanwhile." 

Not long ago, I had to accompany my aunt to the airport to pick uncle up. His flight was somehow delayed so we had to wait a good while. And since we were not sure about which exit he was going to come through, we had to sit afar from each other. Alone by myself, while I was straining my eyes for uncle, I got to witness a whole lot of things at a place so ordinary and yet so extraordinary. People were waiting for their friends, bosses, parents, spouses, siblings, relatives, lovers. People were moving about trying not to miss their flights. People were arriving from distant lands. People were coming home.

Some were bored stiff from the mind numbing wait. Some were really anxious; they just couldn't stay at a single spot, always on the move, roaming the whole place looking from one exit to another as if the wait was going to lessen that way. Others were calm and so very serene.

Those who arrived had their own stories to tell. For some, their arrival went unattended. Among them some were frequent travellers and that didn't seem to mean a thing. Some seemed to be panicky. My heart went out to them. To arrive at a strange land or to come home without a welcoming face. What a sad thing. Those who did receive welcome though, I couldn't help but smile at those strangers. There were tight hugs, screams, kisses, laughter, flowers, balloons and so much warmth. I might have seemed like a creep grinning like a buffoon at the way they embraced, told stories about their adventures, passed greetings from oceans away. But I didn't care. Their happiness was contagious and I was badly infected. 

Looking at all of them all at once, all together I was moved. An airport might seem to us like a very mundane place. Just a way to get to places fast and easy. But so many things happen at this place. People leave to never come back. People leave with promises to return intact. People arrive with hopes and dreams. People come back from adventures. People come home to their friends and families. There is the beginning of anticipation and the end of long waits. What an amazing place an airport is to stop and witness the lives around us, to witness a wide range of emotions or the lack thereof, to witness love and friendship.