Delays and Departures

And then he sat there patiently, surrounded by the constant buzz of an airport in limbo, waiting for yet another delayed flight. Flight delays have become so common that we hardly react anymore. We sigh, we check our phones, we sip our drinks—but deep inside, we know: this too is a part and parcel of travelling.

As he took a slow sip of his diet coke, he found himself drifting into thought. Travelling—what does it really mean?

We all long to travel, don’t we? We dream of exploring faraway lands, meeting new people, collecting memories like souvenirs. Travel promises change, excitement, growth. Yet, he wondered, would we still be so eager if the destination remained unknown?

Isn’t that, in a way, how life itself works? We board the flight of existence without a confirmed itinerary. We encounter delays, diversions, and sometimes cancellations, all without truly knowing where we are headed. The unknown destination is not a flaw in the plan; it is the plan.

Maybe the purpose of travel—and of living—isn’t reaching a place at all, but embracing the waiting, the wandering, the unexpected. Perhaps the real journey is about patience, resilience, and finding joy even when the path is uncertain.

As the announcement for another delay echoed through the terminal, he smiled to himself. The journey was already happening—in the waiting, in the wondering, in the learning. And then…