A lonely night at the airport

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The concept of story telling has indeed come a long way. It was my grandmother and then my parents who used to introduce me to this fantasy world which was supposed to soften me when I used to be my stubborn self. But I guess as with many things around us, story telling has evolved from those fantasy tales to boardrooms and coffee shops where you end up narrating those instances which differentiate you from the herd. In this format, you can choose to make a fool of yourself or bring out the GRE candidate in you to that make others hate their lives.

So, what's this all about? Times have moved on so much that we rarely have enough time to spend with our dear ones. Whether a work-o-holic or not, you end up meeting those old pals from school in the virtual media. Finally, when you do decide to catch up, what do you share? While career is sure to make everyone envy you, there are those hilarious moments which are embarrassing but popular!

Let's rewind the clock to 4th April. I have come down with a hideous eye infection, getting  all the wrong stares . Yet, my job demands me to clock in those hours to meet the deadline. A visit to the doctor brings news of some much needed rest but oh no, not this time! Being the scapegoat, I had to endure these tough times and somehow manage to come on top.

D-day comes in the form of boarding a flight to Mumbai at 2140 hours. What could possibly go wrong? The battle hardened eye starts hurting during the post lunch session, leaving me with no option but to get out of office. A couple of hours of rest and a bus to get to the airport seemed easy. But as is usually the case, fate it seems had other plans. The regularly rash and negligent driver ends up being a gentleman on road and reaches 10 minutes after the counter closes. Factor in the fact that the supposedly helpful receptionist turns out to be a cold and non-negotiable female, you end up missing your flight. End result, a night spent at the airport with nothing to do, nothing to read till morning.

It's weird how we think we control life. We are so involved in planning many details, we sometimes forget to a take minute instances into account. Turns out, it's people you cant' plan! As I sit at the airport writing this, many things hit me hard. Life's extremely fluid. When no one really knows what might happen next, why do we bother planning retirements or even the next five years? Live the moment, 'cos once it's gone, there is no way of getting it back.

So, what's your story?

P.S: Due to a missed flight, I ended up spending a night at the airport. Since I had none of the usual electronic gizmos, I borrowed a few sheets for paper and wrote this down the long forgotten way; by hand. However, as balance prevails, the rest of the trip was simply amazing. A post or two of which shall follow.

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