People

Airports are a cool place. I love all the different people and the mix of cultures. There's the families who travel together as a pack. I'm familiar with that, as I spent most of my life doing that with my own. There's the single business men who move through the airport as if they were forever on the motorized walkway, phones glued to their ear. The business women, who move a little slower then the men, but at their lighting speed I think they actually still notice what is around them. The tourists with cameras still strapped around their necks, T-shirts exclaiming how much they love the city they are departing from. Then there's the people like me, who neither fit into the business person nor family category. The one who closely watches everything going on around them.

Sometimes I want to stop the business men who travel at their warp speed and tell them to slow down. Life isn't always about rushing around. We all need to remember to find the joy and peace that life can give us. Now if I'm running late for a flight of course I go into warp speed myself and the only thing I'm aware of is the vague bodies of people as I go sailing by...but on days like today (when my flight's been delayed) I'm allowed the chance to stop and observe the comings and goings around me.

I like to smile at the tourists who cannot contain their excitement about how big the airport is or how many different selections there are at the food court and surrounding shops. I like to smile at all the families, at the laughter and arguments that always happen during traveling. It makes me think of my own and wish for the days when we used to all travel together. I see couples who are so completely in love, that they only see each other, and I wish for the day when I'll have person in my life too.

I even smile at the foreigners, because it makes me think of Europe, and being surrounded by so many types of people over there. I love the mix of accents, the clash of cultures, and the ability to see so many different people in one place. Airports really are the best place to people watch. You see love, you see sadness, you see people working, people relaxing, people hurrying, and people strolling. So as I continue to people watch (since my flight is still delayed) I'll leave you with this quote from Love Actually that I think sums all this up.

"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around. "  - Love Actually


Stand By and Stay Tuned, there's more to come.