Monday, July 16, 2018

Musings from an airport

Ok so this is going to be a different kind of blog post. I’m sitting in an airport in Pennsylvania, waiting seemingly endlessly for my flight to Charlotte. So far there have been 10 changes to my flight and now it is very possible that I won’t make my 10:30 pm connection in Charlotte to Augusta.

So what does one do with all of this time?? I will say it is a definite challenge to my level of patience. After vacillating between anger, frustration and insanity, I have opened my tiny browser on my phone, put on Pandora and have started to write. I have found peace.

After my last post I hit a writing snag so I didn’t write for a few weeks. I wasn’t sure what to write about in my next post.  A writing block of sorts. A friend had defriended me on Facebook I believe as a result of my post which surprised me and made me a little sad. It sounds so weird to write this at the age of 47. Someone defriended me on Facebook. I do so enjoy writing yet I do feel feel nervous putting myself out there in the blogosphere. I do feel badly if someone is upset by my writing or experiences. They are my own and I only speak for me. One of my goals in this life is to connect people, not divide, and I apologize if my last post divided in some way.

Back to the reason of why I am sitting in an airport for hours. I was in Bethlehem visiting my parents for a few days and wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to spend time here, even with this horrendous delay. I’m grateful for the ability to see them. I’m grateful for my husband and kids for giving me the time to come. I’m grateful for the ability to hear my mom share a story or talk about a book she is reading or share an hour watching one of her television programs or have lunch out at our favorite restaurant. I’m grateful for the ability to walk a block to the nearby farm market and pick fresh, local fruit, vegetables and flowers for my mom. I’m grateful for the ability to give her a little help at home. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have my dad look in my eyes in a particularly lucid moment and say he wished he could be with me when my mom dropped me off at the airport. The visit always flies and grateful for the opportunity.

I’m grateful. I’m grateful for my family and my friends and my life and my history, hard times and happy times. I’m grateful for different experiences, cultures, opinions, religions,, pretty much everything. I’m grateful for all differences because that’s what makes us unique. Looking into the differences you find the similarities that bind us.

This blog has been about finding a moment every day where you are truly present. I guess I found my moment today.

Put on two songs and let’s get cooking! Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show and First Class by Rainbow Kitten Surprise.

Seeing as I can’t quite figure out how to add photos in this format I thought I’d talk about outdoor dining. We recently went to Boston to visit friends and family. We had many experiences dining outdoors. Many meals. Many different settings. There is something incredibly wonderful about being outside and sharing a meal. Sometimes I have a hard time because of my anti relationship to biting insects but it is so worth it. There’s space. There’s a lovely backdrop. There’s fresh air.  It somehow feels more alive. Light some candles. Mix a cocktail or a mocktail and enjoy the solitude or the company. Take a deep breath and smile from within.

Thank you for indulging me with my thoughts (and typos) as I still sit waiting for my plane.  Have a wonderful evening.

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