Whatever it is, I wonder whether any of them have a moment to reflect on their life. I sigh deeply as a feeling of hopelessness overcomes me. I long for someone who would spare a moment to listen to me and tell me I am not the only one experiencing this.

I wish I could read the thoughts of the people in the departure lounge so I can find the person having a similar thought.

In the midst of this yearning, time stood still. Preoccupied, I moved through the security checkpoint, present my ticket and get ready for boarding.

I could see my mother busy doing the laundry under the guava tree at our old house in Six Mile. The yells of kids running around the compound filled the air. It’s lunch time and my father is heading to the house and I am excited to see him.

On the radio, the soothing classics are playing. The close-knit neighbourhood is abuzz with the news that I am travelling. Hear now, they exclaim, this kid is travelling on a plane. Em bosman nau.

I am abruptly brought back to reality by a sharp tone announcing my aircraft is ready for boarding. Overcome with sadness, I head towards the departure gate. As I walk onto the tarmac, I gaze across towards the visitors’ observation area.

There I can imagine myself and my mum and dad behind the iron fence waiting to farewell a relative or anticipating the arrival of a friend. I snap from the past as I again show my ticket and enter the plane.

Now seated, a mixture of past and present thoughts rush to my mind. I sit back astonished at how time has so much changed everything. Overnight it seems. One minute I am a child playing in my parents’ garden and next I am a parent myself.

As a child I was fond of Jackson’s Airport. I still am today. It is a place where the furthest place seems so close. My village seems closer. When I was small I longed to get on a plane and see the interior and experience flight. I often dreamt about getting on a plane. This remained until several years ago when I started flying frequently.

As I look through the plane’s window as it sits on the runway for take-off, the reality of the present day sinks in. A thought urges me to move on as time itself is moving and will not wait for me.

A feeling of anxiety crawls up my spine. What good does it do for me to yearn for past lives? The present offers such great moments. I have my own house, a job, a wonderful wife, a son, another baby on the way. I also have my siblings and parents with me.

These are the people who really need me to keep a clear head.Yet I can’t help getting lost in my childhood memories. Am I a child in a man’s body? Is it a sin against my adulthood to think that way? Is it a mistake to yearn for adulthood only to regret when it arrives?

The truth is that each of us has a child-mind that resides somewhere in our chamber of thoughts. From time to time, it comes alive. It is the reason why we dream of flying, letting ourselves free of the chains that hold us in captive in life.

It is the reason we dream of peace, love and harmony. If only we could all spend more time cherishing sweet childhood memories, we could change the world for the better.

The innocence of childhood is a gift from God and if we could learn more about maintaining its power perhaps we could nurture it to build a peaceful and harmonious world for all humanity to enjoy.

I have been told that change starts with me but I could not clearly see how that might happen. Now I realise that each of us possesses the ability to turn this world into a peaceful and harmonious place. All we have to do is to dream.

In flight and looking down on this great country of ours, I see that our way of life has been much altered in a short time. As things change, countless childhood dreams and memories dissipate.

It saddens me to think that, in the end, if we are not careful, we could create a future with no real identity for our children.