Airports

Sitting in an airport and waiting for a flight always reminds me of two things about our world: it is incredibly diverse, and it is amazing that I'm about to fly. I think airports show you the most interesting and unique people you'll ever see all crammed into one place with nothing to do but wait. Directly across from me is a family with 3 kids, for example - one looks to be about 20, another maybe 15, and another about 12. I just found out (because I can hear them talk) that they are with their grandparents. Where are they flying? Home? Vacation? Visiting relatives? The options are endless. As people walk to and fro, I wonder what they are thinking about too - are they excited to go home, bummed they are traveling for work again, glad they get to leave their kids for a few days, flying to a funeral? Again the options are endless. Then there's the part of the game that is slightly more judgmental... trying to figure out what they do for a living, how much money they have or don't have, and what their interests or talents are. I don't always go there, but usually Noelle and I will if we are waiting together; but, alas, I'm flying alone for the first time in years.

Second, I think about the amazing reality of flying. Have you ever looked up at a plane flying overhead and realized there's maybe 150 or more people in that thing? What looks like the size of your fingernail is actually huge, heavy, and somehow flying through the air at an incredible speed. For most of human history nothing like that has been seen flying through the air (unless you believe in UFO's, in which case you'd say it's been happening a while), but for the past 100+ years it's become more and more common, and now we can't imagine life without the ability to fly. I mean, I'll be flying to San Diego, 530 miles away, and will get there in just over an hour. An hour! Ridiculous. Awesome. I love flying.