During my months abroad, I spent countless hours in airports and train stations. I repeatedly watched as travelers were greeted by loved ones after their respective journeys. Every time I saw one of these reunions, I thought to myself how lucky they were – and how anticipatory I was of my own homecoming.
They were some of the purest human interactions I’ve witnessed. To have someone show up for your arrival with open arms. To have people who miss your presence, no matter how long or short the time away was, and to reciprocate that feeling. I smiled to myself at every homecoming I saw. I was overjoyed for these strangers that got to experience that love, with a slight twinge of envy.
I often thought of the opening line of Love Actually: “Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport.” There is a tangible presence of infectious joy in reunions. I realized it was a gift that I was able to relate to these experiences others were having because I’ve had my own over the years.
It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate the traveling I was doing. It was that duality of emotion where I was beyond appreciative of what I was able to experience but still yearned for that taste of home, that touch of comfort. My own reunion.
After nearly a year in Spain, I was getting ready to come home. All I could think of was the reunion I was about to have and how I was finally going to experience my own Heathrow Airport magic, no matter how small.
I spent over 24 hours traveling to get back to Arizona with multiple flight delays and running through airports to make it home. Little did I know, I was running straight into the sweetest reunion and arrivals gate meetup I could have ever imagined.
When I turned the corner to exit the airport terminals, I was surprised to be greeted by five of my college best friends holding signs on their phones reading “Welcome Home Lolo”. I immediately burst into tears and ran straight into the open arms of my girls who showed up. The thing is, I never told anyone about how I fantasized about this reunion while I was an onlooker for so many others or how, at times, the thought of that moment was something that would get me through tough days. These girls simply showed up for me because that’s what humans do. We show up and bring the joy we have for our people with us.
Coming home felt like letting out the biggest sigh of relief. I had battled through a lot on my own in the past year, but coming home meant I didn’t have to battle so alone anymore.
I hope someone in the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport saw that pure human interaction that day and felt the joy we had, encouraging them to keep pushing until they got their reunion, just like I did.
