Terminal 38

I'm sitting in the Vancouver airport. Its 8:48am.

I was supposed to be in the sky 3 minutes ago. At least that's how the agitated and shuffling people directly across and beside me are feeling. An attendant (poor guy) comes over the loud speaker, "Well folks, looks like according to the flight schedule flight 4286 to Edmonton will be leaving the tarmac at approximately 10:00am. Unfortunately we have been unable to locate our pilot. Should any of you feel up to flying the plane please report to the front desk so that we may leave earlier".

I chuckle. He's trying but it's a tough crowd.

The snorts begin. Shuffling and angry phone calls. Swearing.

The woman beside me picks up her phone and dials, "Hi, yeah I'm going to be late.... I know, I know - unbelievable. I will see you at around 1:30 then." She presses the end key on her phone and turns towards me with a look of disdain coupled with eager anticipation of a similar and therefore comforting reaction. I simply smile.

Everyone in the area re-opens their newspaper, flicks on their laptop, opens their phone. Back to life. Back to work. Back to the grind. God forbid one hour is wasted.

I look around. Seriously? It's one hour. A snipit of unimportant time in a day/week/month/year. One hour to ensure we have a sober/healthy/present pilot for our 'privileged' method of travel.

It's my first day of work. Frankly, an extra hour or two is fine by me. I'm reading a great book and getting paid to do so - reading instead of what I anticipate to be two days of awkward and exhausting introductions. I wish I could get paid to read all the time. I smile again. I am content enough for everyone in the room. Who knows - maybe, with exception to the overtly chipper flight attendant, I am content enough for everyone in the airport.

I'm tired too. Reading is nice. I didn't sleep last night. I was thinking about garbage. Thousands and thousands (millions?) of acres globally of garbage. Slowly rotting and poisoning our planet. Increasing populations and incomprehensible amounts of garbage. This beautiful planet covered in filthy diapers, plastic bags, no longer pristine Starbucks cups. Forever sinking, seeping, soiling.

Sitting on the plane. Still a delay. Locked and loaded and still no pilot. I am roused by a loud snicker to my right after the overhead speaker says "Thank you for choosing Air Canada". Billions in debt. How are they still going? Poor working conditions lead to unionization which inevitably leads to bankruptcy. What a twisted circle. Everyone wants their piece.

I feel guilty flying - carbon fumes from aircrafts are the worst pollutants. Each time we take that trip to the Caribbean we are taking a little piece of the blue with us. They say ignorance is bliss - I'm sure it is. I am fighting the yearning for ignorance every single day.

Today was just another day - another hour.

I wish that when I had looked over at that women I had seen a smile and cheeky little shoulder shrug after that first announcement. That smile displayed only momentarily before opening a book of her own - savouring the moment as if it was a gift - just for her, just for me.