November 23, 2021

It was my first time flying alone. The TSA line was intermindible, the back left wheel on my suitcase was broken, and Spotify wasn’t letting me download music for the plane. As these minor troubles accumulated, they fueled my already irritable mood. I had just said goodbye to my best friend and was coming to terms with the fact that my vacation was over.

But this story isn’t about me. With no music and no one to talk to, I began people-watching. 

The man in front of me was dressed in a suit and checking his watch every 30 seconds. His phone rang about 4 times while waiting in line as he ended each call saying “I’ll do my best.” Isn’t that what we’re all trying to do?

Peering behind me, I shifted my focus to a family who had their hands full to say the least. As the mom juggled endless bags in her hands, I couldn’t help but notice the condensation from her iced coffee seeping into her plane tickets. Though I offered her a tissue to help wipe them down, my efforts seemed pointless as her tickets grew soaked. The oldest son was playing a game on his IPad while the two younger daughters were playing “Concentration 64.” The dad was concentrating on not losing his temper. Me too! I forgot how annoying that game was.

After getting through TSA, the man in the suit and I bolted down the hallway to get to our flights. He ran up to his deserted gate with only one flight attendant left. “Just in time!” she cheered. I couldn’t help but smile. He did his best.

I got to my gate just as boarding started. After finally getting called, finding my seat, and hoisting my suitcase in the compartment above me, I took my aisle seat and let out a sigh of relief. The rest of the passengers filed in one by one and I watched as they settled down into their seats. I pulled out my neck pillow and book and was ready for a relaxing flight. Just as we were about to pull out of the gate, the pilot announced that we had an hour delay. Perfect.

Bored by my book, and still without music or someone to talk to, I took up people watching again.

The girl sitting next to me was watching Love Island on her phone and continued to watch it throughout the delay and the entire flight. She didn’t even pause to check her texts or go on any other apps. I was impressed. When we eventually did take flight, she would jump up in her seat and grab the arm rests tight anytime the plane jerked. Maybe she’s scared of turbulence? Or maybe she’s scared of love?

The old man across the aisle from me surely wasn’t. During the flight, he pulled out the airline magazine from the seat pocket and began flipping through the pages until he got to the crossword puzzle. He carefully ripped out the page, pulled out a pen from his jacket, and filled out about half the answers. Then, he wrote in the top corner “I can’t finish it without my other half” and drew a heart. He carefully folded up the page and stored it in his pocket. I hope I find what they have.

Our plane finally landed and we began filing out. I walked through the terminal and out to where my parents were waiting. I looked back into baggage claim and saw the old man from before hugging his wife. My heart melted. He began reaching into his pocket, and then I heard a honk. I swung around to see my parents in the car. My heart filled with excitement and I ran to give them big hugs. I hope they had fun finishing the crossword. 

I gained a new appreciation for the airport that day. I realized it’s one of the only places where every single person has a purpose. Everyone is leaving something behind and heading on a journey somewhere new. We might have to work extra hard to get there, like the man in the suit. The journey might be a little chaotic, like the family of five’s was. We might be a little scared of what’s ahead, like the Love Island girl. Or maybe we just want to get to our destination, like the old man. Everyone has a story. If we take a second to stop and look around, we can get a deeper read of the lives around us. Perhaps we can even take a page out of their books.