On the way back from a recent holiday, I noticed a girl walking in front of me into the arrivals area being met by her boyfriend with a huge kiss, a hug and tearful smiles of joy. They both looked so happy to see each other!

Maybe she had been gone a few months or just a few days. Either way, it reminded me how rarely we see such positive scenes and consequently, how much I love airports especially for this very reason.

Yes, there are sad stories but perhaps juxtaposed with the inherently transient nature of airports, there are also so many stories full of hope and excitement that just make you feel happy to be alive. Have you ever had that feeling when you're so looking forward to somebody, doing something or going somewhere that you can't eat, sleep or drink?  Read more...

I've recently been concerned about a friend of mine who has been worrying for months about a combination of family, work and financial issues. Although he felt he was doing as much as he possibly could, nothing seemed to change and he was getting increasingly stressed.

So in an effort to address the issues, he spoke to some family members and tried to be as open and honest as possible with them. And they reciprocated.

The conversations were challenging to say the least and the problems weren't yet solved, but things were slowly moving forward and he soon noticed that he was starting to feel the weight on his shoulders lift a little. Read more...