Waiting

Ever since I came back to New Zealand from Fiji I've been waiting to come home.  I've tried not to see it that way.  I've tried to live my days and enjoy them, but I find that most days I truly am just waiting.  The countdown of my return home commenced on my return from Fiji.  The customs and immigration form the New Zealand government required me to fill out asked how many days I planned to spend in the country.  Seventeen.  Seventeen days until I come home.

It is now only five. Five days.  A lot of this time has felt like I am waiting at the airport.  You know that feeling of waiting for your flight?  You get up on the morning you are to leave and you are calculating the number of hours until you must leave for the airpot.  You think to yourself, "I have five hours until I need to leave."  Then you depart for the airport.  "I have an hour to get to the airport before I need to check in."  You arrive at the airport and wait in the check-in queue.  You constantly look at the airport clocks hanging from the ceiling or you pull your cell phone out of your pocket every few moments.  "An hour and a half until the plane takes off.  Probably an hour until the plane boards."  You check in and then make your way through the security line watching other passengers struggle to take their laptops out of their bags and shrug off their coats.  Finally, you slip through security and follow the signs to your gate.  You find a seat and check the time.  "Thirty minutes until the plane boards," you think to yourself as you eye the other travelers around you.  You wait and wait and wait listening to the other announcements for other flights going to other places.  "This is the last boarding call for Mr Jerry Lutes on Flight QF 181, service to Baltimore."  Only it's not the last call for Mr. Lutes because they'll make that call three more times.  Then finally someone from your gate comes over the loudspeaker.  "Yes!" you think to yourself, "Almost time to board.  Almost time to go!"  But then it's another twenty minutes before they allow the families with babies and those requiring assistance to board.  Then finally it's the first class and business class passengers.  If you are lucky and seated at the back of the plane you board next.  If you're not lucky you a wait a while longer.  Then you get on the plane, stow your carry ons, find your seat, and finally struggle to get your seatbelt on.  Ah, finally on the plane.  But then you have to wait for the plane to take off.  Again, if you're lucky it will be only a few minutes before the cabin door is closed and the plane heads for the runway.  If you're not lucky, it's another half an hour before the process begins.  Then finally.  Finally, you are rushing down the runway and in flight.  Ah.  Let the adventure begin!

This is what the last seventeen days have been like.  It's been like waiting to go to the airport, waiting in a queu, waiting to board, and waiting to take off.  Right now I'd say I am at the stage where I've just come through security and I'm finding a seat in the gate waiting area.  I'm almost there.  Just a few more minutes before they call my flight number and I am allowed to board.  Just a few more minutes before I'm coming home.  And ah, what a feeling once I'm on the plane headed home.  What a feeling!