The New Old Business Traveler

I sit fixated by the profound grace of the clouds, so buoyantly white as they suspend elegantly behind the wing of the Dreamliner. The vibrant sky has never seemed so blue, providing a stunning backdrop. A feast for not only my eyes but for all of my senses, fueled by both memories and anticipation. 

This is my first flight since March 5th. Since our lives were turned upside down and inside out by the virus. I feel like a child and am grateful for such new perspectives on old sensations. At the terminal before boarding, timeworn gestures that were once so robotic seem to have given way to an almost nascent sensation of first-time activity. 

Back at the airport just an hour ago, I chuckled to myself in almost disbelief when I had to be reminded to remove my belt at the security check. In the not too distant (and yet oh so distant) past, my hand would have clasped the buckle to whip off the belt when an average of 1.5 others were stood before me in the queue. My small case, the same one that joined me through the airport shuffle once every couple of weeks, would have once practically jumped up onto the x-ray machine itself, placing itself at the perfect angle to transition smoothly, and liquid-free, through the security device. How many of us watched George Clooney in “Up in the Air” and saw a reflection of ourselves? 

But today, my case, along with its owner, was rusty of old habits. But that rust is a blessed thing. Indeed, it may be more appropriate to say that I feel clean of old habits, my eyes and senses awoken by the crisp freshness of it all as I remember how much power there is in new encounters. 

May we look upon each day through childlike eyes and may we resist the temptation to think that we know it all and have seen the world. There is always something new. There will always be a way for us to learn and develop. Such sentiments sit at the core of innovation, progress and the human endeavour.