"Airports Have Seen More Kisses Than Wedding Halls:" From Sunday, January 19th 2014

It's too early to be awake on a Sunday morning, but here we are at the airport- sipping coffee, watching people in giant sweatshirts drag too-big suitcases behind them. 

A couple is locked in an embrace- their limbs seem to intertwine in such a way that they appear to be of one body. The woman stands almost a whole head shorter than her man; her face is buried into his plaid flannel shirt as she sobs. He is holding her close, rubbing her back as he speaks words of encouragement to her. When the break off, they stand in silence- memorizing each other's faces. 

A teenager is trying to escape the giant embrace of her father, and another is wiping at the tears of his mother. When they're finally let go, the teens walk without ever looking back- the parents can't seem to look away.

A Soldier is standing idle with his bag at his feet. He is looking into nowhere, as if caught in some distant memory. When he picks up his stuff to walk through security, he looks back just once. No one is there to say goodbye. 

My family joins together for one group embrace; my mother is traveling out of the country. She blesses each of us, and gives us a kiss on the cheek. I can't look as she embraces my father. She picks up her stuff, and walks through security- turning every few steps as if to make sure we are still there. We stay and watch her go- we watch until we can't see her anymore.

The Story of our Lives: Another Starbucks Story

His Starbucks cup reads, "Jim," in black, bold letters. A stack of binders, news papers, and journals mark his territory on the cluttered little table, but his leather messenger back is already slung across his shoulders as if he is ready to bolt. He's pushing through a newspaper- glancing around as if he's waiting for something to happen. Finally, he stands up, stretches above the seated crowd and discards his empty coffee cup. He bundles his stack of papers and goes, leaving only a few sheets of newspaper that he didn't care to keep. Gone, not to be remembered. Just like the rest of us.

How many times do we go through the daily motions of life, and can't help but feel we are missing something? Us humans are doomed to an eternity of feeling empty- after all, our entire existence is built upon attempting to achieve an unwritten goal. We don't know where the future will bring us, but we like to pretend that we know what we're doing. Story of our lives.