life perspective

i came home from florida yesterday. my flight was pretty early in the morning, and there's always something about coming home from a long week that makes me a little emotional. for some reason i always miss my friends, my home and my familiarity.

yesterday i arrived in atlanta and found my gate where my connecting flight was to leave. the airport was covered in soilders either flying in or out, so it was fun to speculate where they were going. when i sat down at my gate i realized the gate next to me was a flight departing for mobile, al. i couldn't help but stare at that gate and observe all of the passengers. many were soilders. one was a documentarian taking video of the soilders boarding the plane to go to alabama to help with the rescue effort. it touched my heart when the soilders would walk by and people would call out to them and thank them and encourage them.

-side note: my dad was telling me about a time when he was in the service and he landed in the airport in hawaii and as they were walking through the terminal people gave them a standing ovation as they walked by.

meanwhile, the lady sitting behind me was on her phone griping and complaing about how the job market in austin, texas was horrible. she and her husband had just built a $650,000 home and the only job she was offered was a $40,000/year job. the thought of actually taking that job was appalling to her.

i couldn't help but think that not 20ft away from us these people were leaving their homes and families to go to a total devestation zone where people have no homes, no income, no job to go to.

tears started streaming down my face at the thought of the perspective of my life i had just gained.

then on my plane the girl across the aisle from me was a young girl who was in college in new orleans and was moving to austin for a month to live with her friend and try and work because she had no place to go home to and no school to attend.

my hope is that when that lady got home yesterday she was thankful for the roof over her head no matter how much it cost.