Airport

I love airports. Whenever I am in one, I truly feel like an adult. I don't know why. Normally, when I have had a chance to fly, I book the absolute earliest flight I can take. So my trip to the airport usually happens before sunset. When I was in Rockford, I had a lot of flights out from Chicago's O'Hare airport. So it included an hour bus ride to Chicago. I'd have to leave Rockford around 3 am. I do my best thinking in the morning or late at night. Always in the am. So my airport trips help me to think.

I usually travel alone, so I don't have to keep up a whole lot of conversation. Ironic, because there are so many people at these airports. Each time I travel, no matter what time I choose. There are so many different people. As I am waiting in line to get through security or when I am sitting waiting to board the plane, I see so many different types of people. I have to wonder what their story is. Where are they going? Are they going home? Are they leaving home? Where is home for them? Taking in the moment of being in such a vast intersection is quite remarkable. Often in those moments, I wonder if anyone is doing the same thing. Who is noticing me in these moments? Which of these people are asking the same questions? About me? It's humbling because no matter how significant I think my story is, these other stories are equally important to them and to another sphere of influence.

The plane ride. I usually spend my plane rides asleep. Depends on the trip. I'll stay awake long enough to watch the takeoff. Then I'll try and sleep until it's time to land. I've had good and bad plane trips. I guess traveling long distances can be boring no matter how you do it, if you are doing it alone. Yet there is something exciting about landing in a new place. The realization that soon you will finally be at the destination you've wanted to be at. When I fly, it's usually to a place I haven't been or a place I don't really go often. So I am always excited to experience something new. Or if I'm going home, I am excited to be back home finally. So, that has to be the most emotionally rewarding part of the experience. I can see it in others too. The feeling of getting off the plane in a new place and looking forward to reconnecting with friends and family that you know there. Or maybe making plans for how the rest of the day will go. The Airport part always seems to be more fun when I am arriving post-flight. No security, I suppose.

I think that what I would like out of life is the feeling that I get when I am arriving at the destination. A feeling of "Yes, I am finally here!" A feeling that indicates, "Hey, it's going to be a piece of cake from here on!" As I move from job to job; I feel like I am constantly changing planes. Going from one destination to the next, until I am unsure of where I came from and where i'm going. I meet people along the way, but I am not sure if we are all going to the same place. I guess that is how life can be sometimes. I've heard many people say that life is about the journey. However, without a destination, your journey is to nowhere and your travel is pointless. Perhaps the feeling of excitment at arriving at a new place is because of the journey that we've made to get there. But I think it's also and maybe even more so because of the hope of something new. The promise of new challenges. The excitement of new experiences. The allure of new relationships. The expectation of new beginnings.

Anyway, just another late night thought. I think my life is sometimes like being in an airport, looking forward to arriving at my new destination. Hoping that my time there will be awesome. I hope that our travels will get us to where we are supposed to be.

Much love,
Greg