Living in an airport is NOT fun! … I salute you, Tom Hanks!

To put it lightly, I’ve had better days. We found out yesterday that a blizzard was going to hit New York today, but I hoped for the best since most people said it wouldn’t get bad until early evening. When I arrived, the first thing I did was check out the departures board to see if my flight had been cancelled. It read, “On Time.” I felt both relieved and frustrated. I almost wanted it to say “CANCELLED”, because then I could have just gone straight to Rob’s apartment before the snow hit and had a relaxing day in the city. Instead, I waited in Terminal 7 as the surrounding flights were cancelled one by one. As the snowfall crept up around noon, I knew in my mind that there was no way I would be flying out today. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to leave. Three hours turned into six hours, and by the seventh hour I checked the Departures Board again and it read, “CANCELLED” – aka time to leave the airport! Not quite. In order to reschedule my flight, I had to wait for the Iceland Air representatives who were not scheduled to arrive until 4:30PM. I did my best to kill another 3.5 hours, and I eventually was able to reschedule my flight for Tuesday night.


There was about fifteen inches of snow on the ground by the time I was able to leave the airport. The taxis weren't running and it was starting to get dark so I took the A-line to Chambers Street. It normally takes me ten minutes to walk from the Subway to Rob's apartment, but under these weather conditions it proved to be much more difficult. I had two large and heavy suitcases with me and I wasn't dressed appropriately for the wind and snow. The roads weren't paved so I could barely roll my bags. After about two blocks, I could feel my hands getting numb. The wind was so strong that it blew me over a few times. When I was about half way there, I couldn't walk against the wind any longer so I just stopped, tried to warm my hands as much as I could and cried uncontrollably. Then a miracle was sent to me. I thought I heard a voice, but I wasn't sure. I looked up and there was a family walking towards me asking me if I needed help. They were Canadians and turns out live right by Rob. They helped me pull my suitcases through the blizzard to Rob's apartment. I don't think I've ever been so grateful towards anyone because I honestly don't think I would have made it home safe on my own.
Paul, one of the sons, walked me right to the apartment. I got emotional as I thanked him and gave him a big hug. I was so appreciative of their kindness - I thought of them as my Christmas miracle. I hope to not have another day like this ever again, but this experience has taught me that a simple act of kindness has the power to alleviate a lot of struggle and hardship...something that I hope to pay forward.

xoxo
- Alexis