There is something so uniquely wonderful about airports. The sheer idea that adventure could be waiting in every terminal and at every gate is overwhelming, yet this is not what I love the very most. I love watching the people at airports. Airports do not discriminate when it comes to race, religion, cultural background, or income brackets. There are fewer places in the world that you get to experience such a myriad of diverse people in one place.
Another thing I like about airports is that you get to see human emotion at its most raw state. You will witness people so tired and frustrated with the mundane annoyances of security lines and baggage claim, that their true colors show through like tissue paper help up to the sunlight. Disgruntled parents trying to quiet their screaming child, embarrassingly offering anything the kid wants in exchange for the menacing glares of other travelers to cease. Security agents that couldn’t care less that you and your new wife are jetting off to Cabo on your honeymoon and would rather you just take your belt off the first time going through the invasive TSA machines. Teenagers that missed their flight by 10 minutes cause dad wanted to take the “scenic route” to the airport (I know this one firsthand…).
Fortunately there is a lot of positive emotions to balance out all of that negativity wafting around like the smell of Cinnabon coming from somewhere in the food court.
Grandparents arriving just in time to see their grandchild to walk down the aisle and graduate high school. Or there is the long kisses from the couple that hasn’t seen each other in six months. And please, don’t even get me started on military homecomings. I can’t even watch them on the Internet without sobbing, much less in person. Big poster board signs with bright Crayola letters that read “Welcome home dad!” are really too much for anyone with a heart to handle, am I right?
Along with the grump, and the happy, there is also an underlying mood of sadness in airports. Look carefully and you find long hugs at the outside departure drop-off area for those who are too heartbroken to make it to the security line to say their goodbyes. You might see the dad that has to go to his own son’s funeral, or the college freshman leaving home for the very first time. No one can deny that laughter is more authentic, kisses are sweeter, and tears are at their most devastating at the airport. So the next time you are hustling your way through the mass of people on those moveable walkways, take a second to look around at a chance to experience humanity in a very unedited, no-filter, Photoshop-free state. Take it from the girl that is currently sitting in the Portland airport waiting for her friends to arrive when she got a ticket and they rode standby. A little people-watching time might not be so bad after all.
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