Rocketing through the various stages of life fascinates and exhilarates me. All of us become one with a community, an association -- whether it be a college or a town or a church or a team. Our time ends, and we travel onward. But the connections stay: they build.
Sure, we shift toward the solitary and the singular. Large groups of friends dwindle to the occasional gathering and get-together. But the bond remains.
We move on.
And then, we are older. Our hairs grow grayer and thinner. We travel, alone, or with a group, but we are in pursuit of something: a promotion at work, a client, a simple vacation.
We go to the airport. We stop and buy a snack or a newspaper. And we wait at the seats.
And then an employee calls our flight. We rise and hustle to the doors. But along the way, we bump into a friend from the past. It's a shock: a surprise. It's someone from years and years ago. But the conversation flows like time hadn't flown skyward to the continuing, eternal heavens.
We part ways. We smile as we do.
The memories return, the nostalgia bursts, and the smile stays etched upon our face for a little longer.
A somewhat positive take on things, hm?
ReplyDeleteI thought at first that it said "the nostalgia burns," which would have been a bit more authentic to my experience.
I like it a lot.
I'm not sure about the "truth value" of some of the claims you make, partly because I think for each of us these sorts of experiences are among the most particular and individualized things in life. I myself tend to duck for cover when I see someone I haven't seen in a while. But you made me believe that it's both natural and joyous to do otherwise. Nice work. Keep it up.