Sitting outside on this warm summer evening, I remember my first trip to Atlanta to interview. It was Memorial Day Weekend, 2006. After my relocation from Chicago to Atlanta started, I commuted to Atlanta on a weekly basis in 2008, I can remember the heat along the highway to the airport as I sat in traffic. Passing under buildings on 400 and seeing large fans on to circulate out the exhaust from the automobiles crawling beneath.

Fast forward 5 years later with my current company, and I look back and wonder where the time has gone. When my father would tell me that time flies or it goes by so quick as you get older, I thought the man was crazy. How could the 5 minutes before school got out at 2:30 pm ever go by quick? How could falling asleep on Christmas Eve ever make morning come any sooner? The moments in my life where time seems to slow are when I am at the airport waiting to get through security, most likely because the person in front of me has not heard about the ban on jugs of vegetable oil as carry on, and also for the phone to ring when you hope to hear back from someone you have interest in.

While it goes by quick, at times I feel it may even be passing me by. I began work while in High School and recollect many times I forewent vacations and personal breaks to work. While the end result drastically improved my career, the fun along the way was few and far between. What I did learn to do is make fun out of any situation I am in, whether it be the night I had someone with a gun standing in front of me at the hotel (3 days before the big 21), or being on Newport Beach to be told that I was a great person, and oddly, the passion I evoked in them made them long for that passion in their ex….  Needless to say, if I have serious interest in you, I will never take you to that beach.

Thinking back to my childhood, in 1995 the movie 9 Months debuted which has an amazing song about the Time of your Life. Unfortunately, the soundtrack featured a different version, but it serves as a reminder about living life in the moment. How the moments we wish would go slow, pass us by, like an amazing first date, or saying goodbye to a loved one briefly, or for eternity. I love you mom, had our moments of happiness only lasted longer.

Below is the song by Little Stevens – “The Time Of Your Life”

A particular part that makes me remind myself of living in the moment - Carpe Diem

Don’t think about the future, don’t think about the past
There’s just this moment, better make it last
You better get it right ’cause
This is the time of your life

Of course, who could not think about time of your life, and Green Day  Good Riddance (Time of your Life)? When I hear that song I remember being at an old high school friends home, with a pool, with that playing so loud. When it gained more popularity being on friends.

The picture shown above is my mother and I, outside the theatre inside Knott’s Berry Farm waiting to see KIDS Incorporated… I would guess sometime around 1985 to 1986. One of the pictures of her that I can almost hear her laughter. In case you can remember part of the jingle for KIDS Incorporated, here is a refresher! Jennifer Love Hewitt was also in the cast.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnsHpPNltBw

More time of reflection this Tuesday evening. Cleaning out a few more drawers left behind after the move out. Two things made me think about the past all too much, I found a DVD in the camera I was giving away, which had videos from Disney Paris and touring Paris in 2008. The other was some clothes I had purchased for the first cold Chicago in 2006. The ending of the video clips is my return to ORD for the last time, when I had to connect down to Atlanta for a work meeting. The camera recorded until I could not be seen anymore passing into security, on Mama United. That was the last time I flew in and out of Chicago as a residence of the state of Illinois. Seeing the video, laughter at Disney Paris, walking the streets of Paris, the Eiffel Tower, a flood of more memories. Everything happens for a reason, but sometimes the sting still comes back. A few of the shirts will remain in the dresser for now.

Many video clips are out there for Adele’s “Someone Like You” but this particular one has her singing at home and explaining her frame of mind when she wrote the song. The song was the last written for her latest CD. While most reference her other songs on 21 because popularity but this one is beautiful. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

One of the most powerful stanza in the song I identified to is below. No worries no cares, bittersweet in the end and wish you best.

Nothing compares
No worries or cares
Regrets and mistakes
They are memories made.
Who would have known
How bittersweet this would taste?

“Someone Like You”

I heard
That you’re settled down
That you Found a girl
And you’re
Married now

I heard
That your dreams came true.
Guess she gave you things
I didn’t give to you

Old friend
Why are you so shy?
Ain’t like you to hold back
Or hide from the light

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited
But I couldn’t stay away, I couldn’t fight it.
I had hoped you’d see my face and that you’d be reminded
That for me it isn’t over

Never mind
I’ll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
“Don’t forget me,” I begged
“I’ll remember,” you said
“Sometimes it lasts in love
But sometimes it hurts instead.”
Sometimes it lasts in love
But sometimes it hurts instead,
Yeah.

You know how the time flies
Only yesterday
It was the time of our lives
We were born and raised
In a summer haze
Bound by the surprise
Of our glory days

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited
But I couldn’t stay away, I couldn’t fight it.
I had hoped you’d see my face and that you’d be reminded
That for me it isn’t over.

Never mind
I’ll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
“Don’t forget me,” I begged
“I’ll remember,” you said
“Sometimes it lasts in love
But sometimes it hurts instead.”

Nothing compares
No worries or cares
Regrets and mistakes
They are memories made.
Who would have known
How bittersweet this would taste?

Never mind
I’ll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
“Don’t forget me,” I begged
“I’ll remember,” you said
“Sometimes it lasts in love
But sometimes it hurts instead”

Never mind
I’ll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
“Don’t forget me,” I begged
“I’ll remember,” you said
“Sometimes it lasts in love
But sometimes it hurts instead”

Sometimes it lasts in love
But sometimes it hurts instead

A friend I met only a few times in person recently lost someone that was the prince in his fairy tale. Since mid- June, many of his friends shared videos that they felt were beautiful and may provide some solace. I have had each video open in Firefox, awaiting to review and think about.

The video below has no lyrics, but marvelous piano chords throughout. How does one view rain? Rain can be viewed as sadness, tears, a cleansing of the Earth and many times tears ease tenderness of our softest spots in our heart.

Remember as a child, standing out in the rain and looking up, to see the drops falling all around you. Puddles being formed, ripples from each drop that collide with others, similar to people and their paths of lives intertwining briefly.

Rain can bring new life, allows things to grow, a fresh start to what inevitably will be sun behind the cloud. I hope you enjoy the beauty of the art accompanied by moving musical notes.

“Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air and you.” – Langston Hughes

Unfortunately the video that was amazing was removed due to EMI – Here is another but nearly as amazing – The pictures of the rain drops in the previous video, cleansing the body were amazing, sad to see it gone.

Victor asked if I had a chance to see the video for Firework by Katy Perry. In a quick glimpse I saw it on youtube. I found the song to be uplifting, combined with the video, now motivational. Very well done.

With the busy holiday travel season behind us, we wanted to build on the travel tips we’ve shared via social media the past few months and give you some insight on what you can expect from Delta in 2011. To that end, I sat down with one of our very own Red Coats for some insight into their world.

Delta: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us Michelle. Shall we start off by sharing a little background on our Red Coat program?

Michelle: Sure! The program was revitalized in 2007 at our New York-JFK hub. Today there are about 800 of us in many large airports across the U.S.

Delta: What does a typical day look like for you?

Michelle: Every day I assist customers from all walks of life and from all over the world. I work at Delta’s Detroit hub, where we see customers from all over the U.S. and Canada as well as Asia, Europe and South America. I walk around the airport and see customers arriving from Brazil, returning to Paris or on their way to Japan.

Delta: Yes, our Red Coats are certainly famous for your ability to provide one-on-one help from anywhere in the airport. So how exactly do you assist customers without being behind a counter?

Michelle:  We’ve got new technology and the know-how to get what you need. We use hand-held devices to resolve problems on the spot and issue printed boarding passes, meal vouchers, Sky Club passes, travel passes and other coupons.

Delta: That’s great. And lastly, can you share any advice with our customers traveling in 2011?

Michelle: Of course. While we’re here in the airports to serve you, there are some tools customers can use to help themselves if they wish. We have kiosks that can help with flights and information as well as scan-and-go stations where a simple scan of your boarding pass can give you a new one in most situations if you need to be rebooked.

Liz G.

Delta Social Media

-submitted by Becca