We are waiting at our gate, booked on a flight to Seattle to attend my uncle’s funeral.
The gate area is full of people of all ages, shapes and sizes. It’s a full flight. The time comes for boarding and no announcement is made. We notice that the departure time is moved up 30 minutes. Soon the explanation comes – there’s been a fire in the fuel supply. Later we learn that it was the generator. They are waiting for more information.
Time goes by and more announcements come, but no more information. A kind of restlessness begins to drift through the waiting passengers. When will this end? The sun goes down and the sky darkens. Will we fly tonight? Should we leave and rebook?
The little ones begin to run around, fussing and giggling. Moms and dads follow them indulgently, as others look on, amused, remembering how it feels to shepherd a young child. Gradually the impersonal barriers we so carefully maintain in public situations begin to soften as people reach out to each other with tentative comments. “Where are you from?” “Do you have a place to stay tonight?” “They won’t let us sleep at the gate.” “All the restaurants are closed except for the bar.”
We are all caught in this vulnerable situation that is completely out of our control. We are all so human, and we reach out to one another in kindness. It’s beautiful.
