London welcomes you home

Community in an airport corridor
London, ON
November 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

This is what awaits arriving passengers in #ldnont's London International Airport when they first get into the terminal.

The kind-hearted folks who run this place thought it would be a good idea to line the walls of the main corridor with life-sized photos of employees and community members holding various welcome signs. It makes me smile every time I come home, not only because it's a lovely piece of design, but because it speaks volumes about the community we call home, and the way it chooses to present itself to others.

You can tell a lot about people by the small things they do when they're around others. Tiny slivers of politeness and warmth always seem to have an outsized influence, and this seemingly small decision by the airport tells a remarkable story about the people who live here.

We've come to love our adopted city as our own, to the point that we can't imagine living anywhere else. Small touches like this reaffirm why - and how - this place has wormed its way into our souls. Even when I stagger jet-lagged into the terminal, and all I want to do is get home and collapse into a heap, the 20-second walk through this corridor serves as a reminder that we're surrounded by good people who creatively look out for others.

As I collect my luggage from the carousel, I promise myself I'll find some way to return the favor. But first, there's sleep.

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