Little Blessings in the Midst of a 5 Hour Layover

“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music.

 I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music... 

I get most joy in life out of music.”      ~Albert Einstein

Well, last week I had an amazing weekend with my in-laws. My two sisters-in-law and I took our mother-in-law to NYC for 5 days. It was a trip of a life-time, and it couldn't have gone better...minus the air travel.


Unfortunately, DFW did not offer a reasonable direct flight to NYC, so I had the pleasure of visiting Milwaukee, WI for my first time. Needless to say I was a tad bummed as we flew in, as there was no snow to be seen! However, I was a bit excited for a 2.5 hour layover though. 


I was planning on having a cup of coffee, finding a comfy chair, and settling in with my Kindle for a couple hours. My plans soon changed as my flight kept getting pushed back...soon into a 5 hour layover. Seems doable since I have an iPhone, right?! I could easily waste a few hours on FaceBook. Wrong...I decided to give up FaceBook for Lent this year. This was going to be a test of my endurance, but  I decided I was going to stick to my "fast," and find more creative things to do.


So what does one do for 5 hours in a Milwaukee airport, without FaceBook?

1. Found a comfy chair to curl up in for a bit.
2. Had a nice lunch at a small cafe.
3. Caught up with a dear cousin who is helping me discover and search for my "true calling." 
4. Walked 2 laps of Terminal C.
5. People watched.
6. Witnessed a toddler learning to walk...pretty amazing if I might say so! All three of their faces (mom, dad, and toddler) lit up as the little tyke toddled with his arms straight out and the hugest smile on his chubby face.
7. Got caught up on a Bible Study I was lagging behind in.
8. Read the news, and realized I need to bring more joy to the world!
9. Heard an amazing thing on one of my loops around Terminal C...

As I was getting frustrated, towards the end of my 5 hour adventure, I made one last loop of the terminal and I heard, what I thought were string instruments coming from the waiting area below me. I grabbed my suitcase and lugged it and myself down one flight of stairs to find two cellists dueling in the lower portion of the terminal. I settled down in the corner, with a sigh of relief, and began to relax for the last hour of my layover. I did get a rather poor recording of the two of them (I didn't want to seem like a creeper so pardon my snack in this video) As a side note you may want to turn your volume up!

Needless to say this put me in a fantastic mood! I spoke with them afterward and thanked them for such a wonderful treat. I asked them if they were travelling together and they said they had met on the plane from NYC and were traveling to Flint, MI to compete against each other for a solo with the Flint orchestra. (one of them happened to be a 1st year Masters student at Julliard, so I knew I was in the presence of pure talent) I've always thought it so truly amazing how music brings us all together!


I thanked them once again, and with a pep in my step, and a new song in my heart I lugged my luggage and myself back up that flight of stairs and got onto a plane to see my family!


Not only was I blessed with the surprise of song in the midst of frustration and chaos, but as we flew in, and because my flight was delayed by 3 hours, I had quite a breathtaking view of NYC at 9:00pm that I would've never experienced if my flight would have been on time!


So you see....although things might not go as we have planned, there's always a bit of music...if we just listen for it!


Peace to you my friends!
~JennMarie