Portraits of Love: Everything comes in time - meanwhile, travel

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Erin R. Babis
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  Editor's not: This article is part two of a five-part series depicting the many varieties of love Airmen have in their lives that give them the support and motivation to accomplish the Air Force mission.

Instead of looking for a Valentine, one Airman will be having a family reunion of sorts this Valentine's Day with some close Air Force friends he met at his first duty station in Utah.

Staff Sgt. Liban Kano, 48th Force Support Squadron career development supervisor, has a few basic priorities: relaxing, traveling and meeting up with close friends he met at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

"They were stationed with me back at Hill [AFB]," Kano said. "We all stay in contact, and it's kind of like a family reunion every time we get together. It's good times."

Meeting up with his friends and spending time together is what Kano values most.
  
"Knowing that we actually had this experience, like when we went to Rome, reminds me of how much I cherish them," Kano said. "We bought a Cuban cigar, a bottle of wine, went out there, and we just laughed. That's not something you can do over messaging."

Kano said he always tries to do what makes him happy.

"If you're happy, I think things will fall in place," Kano explained. "It's contagious, so if you're happy, people will see that, and people want to be with happy people."

Romantic relationships are, in his own words, "A future Kano problem."

"In the past I thought you had to be in a relationship to be happy," Kano admitted. "I thought that was one of the required items, and that's one of the reasons I joined the military. I didn't want to follow an outline that was already in place or do the standard thing."

Thanks to being stationed overseas, Kano has visited 20 countries and shows no signs of slowing down. He volunteered for a short tour so he could choose an overseas location for his follow-on. With his next two bases overseas, he can continue to enjoy life abroad and the travel opportunities it presents.

"The military is tough with relationships," Kano said. "You have a timeline or a crunch time, and, in my job, we see those all the time. You can see a pattern of how close someone is to their DEROS (date eligible for return overseas) and then how quickly they get married. There is nothing wrong with that, it's those two peoples' opinions, but that's why I don't really focus on relationships."

According to Kano, everything will come in time, including relationships.

"You have to let time do its thing," Kano said. "You shouldn't force yourself into a relationship. I think if you rush into something, you'll rush out of it quickly as well. That's why I don't mind waiting. I'd rather it just be done right the first time, kind of like work. Do it right the first time so you don't have to go back and do it again."

In the meantime, Kano imagines his future wife will share his interests.

"I'm hoping she will love to travel as much as I do," Kano explains. "Later we can share that, and she'll tell me about her stories from her travels, I'll tell her about my stories, and then we'll make our own. I'm sure she's out there, traveling and having adventures, and I can't wait to hear about them one day."