The Perfect Pickup

The alignment of time and space when arriving at an airport to welcome out of town guests is viewed by many as the Perfect Pickup. I guess if I were writing this when I was younger you would be reading about how to grab a girl’s attention. Nonetheless this is about experiencing zero wait time upon arrival. For years I was able to call the airline and check on the status of the flight yet once I left the house any changes in status would only be discovered after aimlessly circling the airport. While my cell phone informed me of changes and web access provided real time adjustments, the perfect pickup is not always guaranteed.

The other night I had the opportunity to experience such an event. I planned accordingly using all necessary tools to facilitate the alignment. My cousin informed me that his bags were carry-on and he would meet me outside immediately after landing. Everything was looking great, traffic was light, no unexpected surprises, and the plane was on time. As I approached the off-ramp from the interstate to the airport entrance my cousin called, this was too good to be true. This was the phone call I was expecting all night. The one that was going to tell me he arrived. This was the phone call telling me that he is headed for the arrival area. No delays, no unexpected surprises, and the plane arrived on time. The perfect pickup was in sight.

I answered and I heard what I wanted to hear…almost. He arrived safely (a good thing), yet his bags were checked in at the airport. The perfect pickup escaped by the delay of waiting for baggage claim. The perfect pickup was once again just a fantasy, yet having spent the last few days with family; I realized I had the exceptional pickup.