reunited and it feels so good

Bob came home from his 3 week retreat yesterday, so I had the privilege of picking him up from the airport. Being a newbie to going alone to pick people up, I called my mom to get all the details on where to go, etc. That's me, I'm a planner. You think I could follow the very explicit airport signs, but I just had to go in with the confidence that my mom was behind my back. I also got there almost an hour early so that just in case I missed the bold signs and had to loop a few times, I would still be there as the shining face greeting my husband.

Since I had no problems finding exactly where to park, I ended up arriving in the arrival area long before I needed to, which lead to many interesting sights and experiences. There was the guy sitting next to me on those leather-like benches that are all connected, who, ignoring the fact that I was writing, decided to bounce his left leg repeatedly and every so often include his perhaps jealous right leg with a big pound, sending the whole bench shaking and my writing to become squiggly. Then there were those exciting moments of lovers reunited (the anticipation was killing me). I especially thought it cute of the one girl who hid behind a pole and then jumped out at her significant other.

There were also the kind of sad moments like the guy who had brought a welcome home balloon and flower to his (girlfriend?) and she barely acknowledged him. In fact, a few minutes after their greeting, he had to say, "These are for you." Really? Who else would they be for? Maybe she was his sister or cousin, but if so those gifts might be excessive. I also saw the family where Dad was picking up Mom and 2 young sons, and the older son wouldn't even look at him and jumped into Mom's arms. Dad first spent a lot of time talking to kids and then kissed Mom as a side note. I know I don't have kids yet, but it killed me that he didn't greet his wife first.

Well I couldn't wait for Bob to come out and I was waiting to see what our reunion would be like. It was straight from a movie, really, and it felt nice to be the star in the scene. It felt like slow motion. He was the last one coming down the hall and had to cross a barrier before he could get to me. I actually felt like we were getting married again but this time he was walking down the aisle to me. I smiled, looked away, smiled, and waved (which I know isn't very movie-like, but hey it was my first time!) When he crossed the barrier, we hugged and he actually picked me up, which felt very movie like, except I was wearing shorts and a tank top, not a long flowy dress...

Anyway, I decided that the airport is the best place to go to watch human interaction, both sweet and sad.