“To lose patience
is to lose the battle.”
~ Gandhi

First of all, I’m not looking for any battles. I’ve made that mistake before. In my younger days, patience was not a virtue for which I was known. As I’ve aged, however, it has become one of my strengths.

I’m writing this post from the waiting area of Gate C-8 at the Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport. My flight from San José to Dallas was on-time and uneventful. (Isn’t it strange that I could consider any air travel to be uneventful? In reality, it’s miraculous!) When I arrived in Dallas, the craziness began.

To be certain that I would be in the right place at the right time for my connecting flight to Miami, I asked the gate agent at the arrival gate to direct me to the departure gate for my next flight. No problem. He directed me to A-28, which was a 15-minute walk from my arrival gate. I arrived, checked it out, then set out to find a place for an early dinner. I also had time to FaceTime with Kathy. I was pleasantly surprised that Penny and Scarlett were still with her, though FaceTiming with toddlers is a story for some other time. 

I enjoyed my meal, then reopened my computer. I don’t know why, but I logged into Flight Aware to check the status of my flight. I’m glad I did. The departure gate had been changed from A-28 to D-30. No problem, I had plenty of time, but I had to take a monorail to the D concourse. Again, it was a long walk from the monorail to Gate D-30, but I arrived unscathed.

I had a nice conversation with two Nigerian travelers. They told me, after about twenty minutes of conversation, that everyone from California is friendly and outgoing. Then they said that meeting me just confirmed what they already believed. I didn’t want to burst their bubble. Our conversation was interrupted by a ticket agent’s announcement, informing me that my flight had been changed, yet again. It would depart an hour later and from Gate C-8.

Back on the monorail, this time to the C concourse, I met a woman whose first words to me were, “You’re not from Dallas, are you?” I was a bit curious to know what gave it away. “You can just tell,” she responded. I didn’t ask anything else.

So here I sit at Gate C-8, checking about every thirty minutes to be sure the departure gate has not been changed, yet again. Fortunately, I’m not at all upset or stressed. When I arrive in Miami, my connecting flight departs at 9:45 a.m., so it really doesn’t matter if I do my waiting in Dallas or in Miami…………. PAUSE……….. Another gate change announcement. Seriously!

Okay, so I was told that the flight would now depart from Gate A-9. I got back on the monorail and returned to concourse A. Before I could settle into my seat and continue this article, an announcement was made that my flight was now scheduled to depart from Gate A-39. The good news: no need to change to a different concourse. The bad news, Gate A-39 is a long walk from Gate A-9. My feet are sore. My knees are throbbing. My lower back aches from pulling the suitcase behind me all evening. But I’m here, and, for now, I’m at the correct departure gate. Boarding should begin in about 15 minutes. 

No time for any more gate changes. And yes, I’m still patient… just exhausted! This, my friends, is air travel in 2023.