In Anticipation

As I soar amongst the clouds

 I look out in eager anticipation.

 Hoping to get a glimpse of YOU 

To soak in your rays 

Washing the lethargy of the Night gone by

I was travelling for the first time after the pandemic onslaught. I had enough of the work-from-home scenario and wanted some semblance of normalcy. 

It was an early morning domestic flight which I hated always. These flights very effectively spoil your sleep before the journey. As usual, I had a restless night, looking at the watch now and then, ensuring that I was not late. So on a cold January morning, I started my journey before dawn. Even the birds were asleep in their nests. I had a feeling of both nervousness and excitement and was looking ahead to this journey. It was a rather important business trip for me. 

The airport was like a swarm of ants, almost every inch of it. With all the nitty gritty's of the check-in process completed, I slumped into a seat near the boarding gate. Hoping to get some sleep, I shut my eyes. But the constant banter of the passengers nearby ensured that I stayed awake. Opening my eyes, I looked around, the boarding gate was filling up as we were approaching boarding time. The face masks were mere decorative pieces now, either dangling on their chins or even better, doing the work of a muffler. It felt the people were on an excursion.COVID never seemed to have happened at all. Slightly alarmed, I  took a step back from the crowd and pondered what to do next. Would I need another face mask or do I wear the face shield right away, I wondered. Yet somewhere deep within, I was excited and was anticipating a good  trip ahead. 

I decided to board almost at the very end, to try and enforce a social distance. Luckily for me, mine was an emergency row window seat. Happy at the extra legroom, I quickly transferred my laptop off my shoulder to the overhead bin. I sat down and drifted to sleep. Sometime later, a rather sweet voice over the PA system woke me up. We were ready to take off. We were airborne shortly afterwards. I was not interested in anything else but sleep. 

Sometime later, I woke to the first rays of the sun, bathing my window. It was the start of a new day. I looked out and silently anticipated a productive day ahead of me. But was it anticipation or was it the expectation, I did not know. Or was it just the emotion of hope? Well, whatever it was, it was most certainly a moment of prayer. A prayer for all humanity, they're well being. A prayer for empathy and grounding of thoughts!! 

That moment was rather magical. At that very moment, I took this picture. I pondered what lay ahead of me and my journey thus far. What was I doing right? What was I doing wrong? 

There cannot be a better moment of introspection, I felt.