The one place I have always loved was the airport. There is no better place to loose yourself as one of the masses then a crowded terminal. Many times I have just stood to the side and watched the chaotic dance that happens.
You can see every kind of emotion if you pay attention. Those happy to get away on a trip they have been counting the minutes for. Those happy to get a break from their everyday lives or going on that big interview they have been praying for. And even those so sad to leave where they have just been replying the recent memories in their head like a movie they never want to end.
You see the people so wrapped up in their own stress that they don’t even realize how rude they are to all those around them just trying to do the same thing they are. And you see so many on cell phones trying to temporarily escape the chaos that they don’t take the time to say hello to the person sitting next to them at the gate. The funny thing that always surprises me is I tend to get weird looks from people for simply having a smile on my face or saying “thank you” like it is such an uncommon thing to see or here there.
Occasionally you see some things that make your heart sink. Loved ones fighting and forgetting to cherish each other. Families each on a cell phone or the kids with video games forgetting to actually talk to each other on their family vacation. And you see loved ones have to say good bye knowing it will be a long time before they will be able to be together again.
On a recent trip I sat next to a young woman who could not contain the tears as she sat there trembling by the gate listening to her iPod. In a weird way, I didn’t have to ask her what was wrong to know, I just some how knew. Maybe it takes having been in that kind of place before to know why. And I wanted so badly to reach out to her but also knew that although those moments are always hard to go through we have to feel them to move on with our own lives.
But through it all, I have seen so many happy reunions there that it still remains a special place for me. I love just sitting there and taking it all in. Just watching pure joy, excitement and love all around you. It is an amazing sight to see if you take the time do so and one very hard to find anywhere else in our lives. The movie Love Actually captures this in a scene and I am always overwhelmed with emotion watching it.
I would be lying if I didn’t admit that some times it leaves a sense of longing for me. I travel a lot for my job and over the years have longed to be one of those that has someone so happy to have me returning home to them. Being that one person’s face that they look for in the crowd and then get that light in their eyes and see that smile flood their face when they find me. But until then, I will continue to happily be a fan of those that have that.
In a time when we now face terrorism, security lines and anxiety when traveling, I urge you to still try and look around at all the emotion you can see in the faces of the strangers around you. Because when you do on some level for a small amount of time, you realize they are not strangers at all. And who knows, maybe the next time you travel you might just see your trip in a whole new light.
Until next time,
Christy
Currently listening : The Village Sessions By John Mayer Release date: 12 December, 2006
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