25 Jan All the Important Things
I was walking toward gate A19 at the airport, following other travelers walking at a clipped pace. Most were holding their phones, talking or typing, pulling their luggage with their other hand.
There was the busy hum of conversation, interrupted by crackling announcements of delays and boardings and requests to return to security to pick up lost items.
Crouched in the middle of the concourse path was a small, blond-haired boy wearing a bright red shirt. Travelers walked around him, some stumbling over their luggage as they attempted to divert their steps at the last moment, not expecting to find a child in their path.
The little boy was intently focused on the floor. His face looked downward, mere inches from the surface. His small hands were flat on his knees. He was carefully inspecting something.
His mom stood a few feet from him. She had noticed he had stopped and turned toward him as she rearranged the backpacks she was carrying and stuffed a water bottle in a side pocket.
“Time to keep walking!” she reminded him.
“Wait!” the little boy replied without looking up. “This is important!”
What did he see, I wondered. A shiny penny? An abandoned luggage tag? A glittery speck in the decorative flooring?
I don’t know. But I believe him that it was important enough to stop.
Extraordinary things surround us each day. Tiny miracles in our path. The number limited only by our own ability to notice.
I kept walking toward my gate, trying harder to pay attention to all the important things.