LUGGAGE Lady

Contemplations about Life, Love, & the Pursuit of Meaningful Existence…

Archive for the category “Reflective”

16 Aug 2012
12 Comments

Where Does the Love Go?

 

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When I spot an elderly couple strolling down the street or sitting on a park bench, I wonder. Do they still feel the same fluttering in their hearts as when they first fell in love? In a disposable world, where so much is readily upgraded, can monogamous love endure?

You meet your soul mate — You feel wanted, needed, respected, appreciated, and adored. You come to life in this person’s presence, passion energizing every step. There is nothing the two of you cannot conquer together.

What happens that causes such a perfect relationship to shred without possibility of salvage? Do some require a vast library full of archived lovers to prove their mass appeal? Something to point back to and exclaim how loved they once were, all the while scrambling for their next conquest?

Love may mellow with everyday routine, but a lifetime of shared experiences and memories bond a couple in a way that those constantly on the prowl will never enjoy.

If you are fortunate enough to find your true companion, pour out your heart and soul even when you’re tired, bored, or frustrated. Silently take their hand and remember the weakness in your knees, the thundering of your heart, how you were nearly sick with pleasure when you first met.

Never forget and love will endure…

Posted in Inspirational, Life, Life Lessons, Love, Photography, Reflective, Relationships and tagged , , ,
03 Aug 2012
3 Comments

The Spectator

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The bustling street’s attention-garnering hum drifts upward

Tired eyes peer from an oft-shuttered window

Momentarily intrigued

Watching the world’s dreams unfold

A long-forgotten pursuit

Time blurring into weeks

Months

Then years

She’d lost track a lifetime ago

Oh there was a period

When temptation’s tantalizing hand reached out

Beckoning her to play

But expectations consumed

Caving to the status quo

Earned her the praise of family and friends

Where were these folks now??

A risk-free existence

Carried a cumulative price tag

Missed opportunities

Memories never made

Forfeited youth

And the reverberating regret of being a mere spectator

Alone and shocked by the breadth of her heart’s vacancy

Posted in Baggage, Reflective and tagged , ,
31 Jul 2012
2 Comments

Heroes by Default

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Our vacation to the New England Coastline had been planned for months, our lodging prepaid and non-refundable. So it was that we boarded our flight from San Francisco to Manchester, New Hampshire on September 16, 2001.

That’s right, precisely five days after the world (as my generation knew it) changed irrevocably. Airplanes as suicide bombs? Hundred-story buildings disintegrating like those in an animated film? Fighter jets scrambling to do the unimaginable? My husband and I (pilot/flight attendant, respectively) boarded a scarcely populated aircraft and headed east.

The first breakfast held a table of twelve. As we all chattered about the basics: where are you visiting from…what do you do? The room grew quiet, all gazes drifting toward us. The rest of the guests were locals who had canceled trips to stay within driving distance of home. We’d not only traversed the continent in a “weapon,” we were part of the group that had been slaughtered before everyone else. Many rose from their chairs to hug us, offering words of praise with tears in their eyes.

We were heroes, by default, for the day…

Posted in Flight Attendant, Gratitude, Life, Military, Philosophy, Photography, Reflective, Travel and tagged , , , , ,
22 Jul 2012

Just in Case Letter

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I just finished reading a memoir written by a military wife whose husband left her a “just in case letter.” Tragically, the worse occurred and she claimed the single thing that allowed her to move forward without feeling like she was betraying their love was his insistence in the letter that she live.

Soldiers are clearly in a lane of their own and words cannot convey the depth of my gratitude, but shouldn’t we common folk have some sort of worse-case-scenario plan in place too?

My husband and I are both airline crew so our mode of transport is statistically safer than those navigating rush hour commutes daily. Still, with every take-off and landing, shouldn’t I indulge in the peaceful knowledge that my message will be there — waiting?

I adore the spoken word, but when given the choice I clamor for the written format. Sure, I can chatter days-on-end about trivia, but when something is weighty I prefer the perspective of the page. In conversations of any magnitude I torture myself, second-guessing every last utterance at 3:00 AM when sleep mocks me. The ability to edit, walk away, circle back, delete, reevaluate, polish and tweak a tangled compilation of letters is akin to decorating, cleaning, stocking up on Champagne, and procuring the quaintest flutes before inviting guests into your home.

As Mark Twain said: “Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.” And so it is, when the occasion involves matters of the heart, I will always reach for a pad of paper or fire up my trusty laptop…

Posted in Flight Attendant, Reflective and tagged , , | Leave a comment
19 Jul 2012
1 Comment

I Still Believe in Me

 

I-Still-Believe-in-Me-Luggage-Lady-Blog

Restlessness percolates through my veins

My soul mutters guidance I can’t quite hear

My heart hammers in protest

I forget to breathe

Why can’t I make out destiny’s voice?

When others seem capable of belting out her words

Like lyrics from a favorite song?

Clarity escapes me

Everyone else forges ahead with impressive accomplishments

Yet I flounder

Seeking an outlet to pour the best of myself

Filling pages with inspiring bits

Not merely the first thought that spills forth

All the while struggling to lift a spirit pummeled by self-doubt

Loyalty and support ebb and flow

So tempting to turn to another to field my dreams

A scapegoat to gesture toward when progress stalls

But no one can do this for me

A mountain I must scale alone

I persevere

Certain my soul has a plan

Tightening my boot laces

I stare boldly into the sun’s blinding glare

Dirt scuttles across the vacant trail

And I still believe in me

Posted in Inspirational, Reflective and tagged , ,
16 Jul 2012
1 Comment

Laughter

Laughter

Rippling through the air

Smiles morphing into gape-mouthed giggles

Tears shooting off pulsating cheekbones

Hands clutching quivering ribs

A shameless snort erupting

Laughter

A magically contagious human gift

Whether soft and polite

Or threatening to burst one’s core

A welcome affliction

And formidable defense

Sprinkling the high notes

Into life’s somber melody

A tune that renders one choiceless

But to dance

Posted in Gratitude, Inspirational, Reflective and tagged , ,
12 Jul 2012
2 Comments

Leaving Home

1988May

How many times had I counted down the days until sweet freedom would be mine? Going away to college meant doing precisely what I wanted when I wanted — sans parental monitoring. I could not wait! So why was my heart heavy as I waved goodbye from the curb of my twin-bedded dorm room? Independence and all its glories were mine…ALL MINE.

I suppose somewhere in the recesses of a still maturing mind, my brain knew this was just the beginning. Family life as I knew it would never be the same again. “Home” from here on out would only be a place to visit during holidays and summer breaks. I was on my own. Life’s hurdles awaited my every stumble.

That first month on campus passed in a blinding whirlwind of new faces and overwhelming schedules, where potential failure loomed. After all, we were curtly informed at orientation: “Look to your left, look to your right, one of those students will flunk out by semester’s end.” One third of the freshman class gone in four-month’s time? No pressure — just had to tweak a workable balance between academic and social.

There were moments, that only thirty years later I will admit, I wanted to go home so badly it hurt. Sitting on that lush green quad, I would try to quell my homesickness. All the while wondering how the family I couldn’t wait to leave suddenly seemed so warm and compassionate in comparison to the cold, calculating strangers in this cut-throat institution. But I did not hail from a line of quitters.

I came to love that central Illinois campus surrounded by its cornfields, ear-tagged cattle with strange funnels sticking out of their sides, and chicken coops (courtesy of the Ag department). Inhale…hold breath…hold breath…hold breath…and exhale (whoooooosh). We had the largest Greek system in the country that supported an impressive range of philanthropic causes. We still had Chief Illiniwek as our mascot. And Kam’s served a budget-friendly Long Island Iced Tea that lasted the entire duration of happy hour. My experiences, both positive and challenging, made me more confident and adventurous — albeit a bit more cynical than the innocent soul who’d arrived four years earlier.

Each of us has to break free from the nest and ascend into the clouds. Fears of operating in uncharted skies can be debilitating. Shoot for the moon anyway. Even the smallest daily motion powers upward momentum, each effort building upon the other until one magical day we marvel at the glow of starlight splashing across our faces…

Posted in Baggage, Gratitude, Inspirational, Life, Reflective and tagged , ,
07 Jul 2012

Family

1971Feb

That which God chooses

And entrusts with your destiny

A gift you are…one to the other

To teach

To learn

To chart your dreams

Building confidence

By overcoming doubts and fears

A foundation from which you spring

Secrets shared, problems solved, memories made

Someone to scoop you up when you stumble

To fluff your broken wing

And cheer you back to flight

A hand to hold, a warm embrace, words of assurance

Endless camaraderie

And a bond of enduring love that fortifies your heart

Against the adversity in the world

Posted in Gratitude, Life, Reflective and tagged , , | Leave a comment
03 Jul 2012
2 Comments

The Lost Art of Communicating

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What on earth has happened to the art of communicating? I’ve seen people on buses, trains, airplanes, and park benches so engrossed in their phones and miscellaneous gadgets that they have no clue what’s going on around them. They miss interacting with that stranger next to them who could be the most intriguing individual they’ve ever met. A career connection, a spiritual inspiration, perhaps a future lover — sadly, they’ll never know.

I’ve observed families at restaurants, each of them lost in their own electronic world. It makes me grateful for the fond memories I have of family mealtime. Each night we’d gather, say grace and swap stories of the day. What we discussed wasn’t as important as the bond we forged.

And when I watch couples out on dates, checking their phones obsessively, I thank the heavens above I’m not single. Because, unless my date was an on-call neurosurgeon, I would get up and leave if he dared to eyeball his phone during our conversation.

True, the myriad of paraphernalia has made life easier, providing a certain sense of security, but — as with everything — moderation is the key. Far too many are missing out on precious moments happening in real-time right before their eyes…

Posted in Baggage, Life, Reflective and tagged , ,
29 Jun 2012

The Ride of Life

Life…the roller coaster we all must ride, yet we hold the keys. Or do we? How many people stall, waiting desperately for the tattooed operations man, the frowning clown — anyone — to push their buttons?

Life…it just happens. A trip with no itinerary, a journey without a map, a tome of blank pages staring back at us. No one asks if we want to be born. There is no interview, no preference card on which to notate desired selections, just a seed planted without our consent. Someone has thirty some-odd weeks to prepare for our arrival, but for us it’s one giant surprise.

We start out warm and safe, contented creatures indulging in a nine-month all-inclusive vacation. Perhaps that old-fashioned slap on the newborn’s bottom served more as a reality check (wake up the party’s over!) than a breathing tactic.

It is at this moment, when we realize we have joined the ranks of the earthlings, that our ride squeaks and sputters into motion.

Posted in Baggage, Life, Reflective and tagged , , | Leave a comment

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