Despite flight delays, crowded airports and TSA I still find vacation travel refreshing. It’s got me thinking about perspective. Glass half full? Hero or victim? Upon landing on one of our flights a middle-aged woman began jostling those ahead of her while talking on her cell phone and loudly saying, “Let me move forward. I’m missing my connecting flight.” Our flight had arrived early! Frustrating, yes! But you can pack that bad behaviour! Missing flights or being delayed is normal (more so post-covid it seems).
Ushered out of the terminal by police a crowd of us waited
outside while security in flack jackets marched by with bomb-sniffing German
shepherds on leash. This was my experience on another trip years ago. Once given the clear I headed back to the gate where I was
told I’d missed my flight! “We called your name,” they said. “I was out on the
curb with a hundred of my best friends,” I replied to no avail. Eventually a
ticket agent assured me I’d have a ticket out on the next flight.
Travelling encourages me to experience the good in other
people. The traveler stepping backward in line and graciously allowing us to
take the spot in front of her. The tram attendant that grabbed our suitcases
first (probably because we look feeble and in need of help) and insisted we
find a seat before the bus filled up. The worker in the parking structure who gave
me a ride on his golf cart so that I could get to our car and then go pick up
the wife. There are these glimmers of other human beings that give me slight
hope for my fellow humans. A very slight hope.
Purpose and attitude; it all comes down to those. Less escape than release and recalibration. The lady trampling down people
to get out of the plane; what’s her purpose? One can only guess. Some bring all
their baggage with them. Some leave it behind to calibrate and evaluate what to
jettison when you return back home.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and
persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed
on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.”
Photo by Tom Barrett on Unsplash
