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I just returned from a brief trip, yet I feel like I have been away for a very long time. While everything looks the same, everything feels decidedly different. Something has changed. I have changed.
This morning, as I bid farewell to someone very special to me, tears welled up in my eyes. I was leaving with some wonderful memories, but it was the leaving part of that equation that brought on the tears. Hands down, I unequivocally suck at good byes. To ease my sadness and to occupy my time before boarding my first of two flights that would return me home, I decided to take a walk through the airport terminal. As I walked, seemingly with each step, I felt a shift occur.
I found myself studying the other passengers who were coming and going at varying speeds. Some passengers were walking slowly, yet deliberately. Some were strolling along, seemingly without a care in the world. Some were walking hurriedly toward their destination. Still others were running, weaving their way through the pockets of people making their way through the terminal.
As I passed my fellow travelers, I wondered who they were, where they were going, and what was their story. Everyone has a story. I got glimpses of a few of these stories, when I chit chatted with a few people at the gate and on the plane before and after take off. There was a young lady traveling to her home in Spain after several months studying here in the United States. I met a woman on her way home to Wilmington, North Carolina. There was the man who was heading to Phoenix on a business trip.
As I engaged in this small talk, it struck me that we were all at the beginning, middle, or end of our respective journeys. We were in the same place at the same time, but our reasons varied. These were brief interactions with strangers, and when our conversation ended, so, did any further contact I would ever have with them. Now, I was left in my own company, and it was when I was alone with my thoughts about my own journey that things began to change even more.
As I reminisced about the events of the last few days, certain conversations replayed in my mind. Some of these conversations revolved around some of the goals and dreams I hold close to my heart and how to make them a reality, and the more I thought about them, the stronger my resolve grew. I knew that when I returned home that I wanted to unpack more than just my suitcase. I knew more than ever that I wanted to unpack my neglected plans and find a way to give them flight.
So, even after only being home a few hours, I already have taken some steps forward, and there will be more to follow. This morning, I woke up in one state, and tonight, I will fall asleep in another state. This state refers both to a geographical one and a state of mind. While I hope to return to the former state, I hope that the latter state continues to evolve and lead me home.
That’s another story . . .
Categories: That's Another Story
That's Another Story 
What a lovely post – a really great way of looking at things 🙂
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Alison, thank you for saying that! I am glad you enjoyed it.
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