Life is short - make it count
The El Salvador dancers greeting passengers outside of customs
Earlier this week, while traveling internationally, two things stopped me in my tracks and made me take stock of what I take for granted.
Boarding the SkyTram to take a shortcut through Miami International’s massive airport, I glance up from my phone and see an elderly lady in a wheelchair. She is with younger women and an airline employee. The airline worker looks bored and the elderly lady’s companion has a similarly bored expression. Neither is interacting with the women in the wheelchair. It’s a common occurrence to see this while traveling. Airports are full of employees pushing wheelchairs to meet a passenger, or the wheelchairs and employees can be found lined up outside the aircraft as you exit the runway post-flight to renter the maze of turns, signs, and endless foot traffic and lines. Usually, I just breeze on by these logjams of people, the wheelchairs, and the mini-carts and make my beeline to baggage claim, relieved I escaped from the madness.
Yet this elderly lady in the Skytrain with me caused me to reflect on what her travel experience is like at the airport and how much different it may be from my own. What does she do to prepare for a flight? How much of her time is spent waiting on others? Waiting for her family presumably to pick her up and load her into the car. Waiting for the airline employee to show up at the check-in terminal to wheel her down the tarmac, then she must wait again as she departs the aircraft for yet another airline employee to pick her up. Then finally, her travel companion must load her into her car for the drive to her final destination.
Aging makes me think about these moments because as we get older, this may be my reality too. If we’re not hit with an unexpected accident or premature illness, we will undoubtedly come to a place in life where we’re no longer able to care for ourselves. Dependency scares the crap out of me. Self-sufficiency is one of my best friends and life’s cruelest joke.
I board the aircraft and as we begin to take off, I hear the roar of engines accurate to full power. I glance to my left and the woman seated near the window dressed in a business suit is motioning a prayer to the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. The gesture is common to me, as it’s what I did before every meal growing up in the Catholic faith. Perhaps this helps her feel safe and gives her the peace of mind that this plane ride won’t be her last. It’s strangely comforting watching her do it.
In this life, we only get one shot. One chance to make a difference and use the time wisely. As I contemplate these heavier life issues, I’m committed to making it matter and using my skills to make a difference.
Yesterday was a reminder of the fragility of life and how in an instant or after a lifetime of doing things yourself it can go away.
Make every single day matter. In the spirit of that and to end on a joyous note, I’ve included a screenshot of the dancers who greeted us at our final destination.
