Over the past 4 ½ years I’ve been a road warrior. I usually fly out of town on a Thursday, and fly home on Monday. The amount of hours I’ve spent in airports is insane! I don’t know if you’re like me and love to people watch, but it’s been an epic experience. Here’s some observations I’ve made about humans in airports.

1. Airports Are High Stress, Low Energy Places

Have you ever walked into a place and felt tension? That’s what I feel in airports. Just starting to notice how I feel when I walk into different places has been key to me being able to adjust my own energy. Once you check in with yourself and how you feel, whether in a forest or in an airport, you can adjust. It’s awesome when you check in because then you can seek to add a calming, kind energy to a place that may be a high stress environment.

2. People are Addicted to their Phones

As I wait in terminals, I see heads bent over, glued to their devices. While I love technology and appreciate being able to check things on the go, I’ve noticed that gone are the days, for the most part, of people reading books in waiting areas and having meaningful conversations with strangers. This shift has happened even in just the last 10 years and it’s mind blowing. One thing I try to do each time I go into a terminal, is just sit for 10 minutes without looking at my phone and just watch people. You often see kind smiles and courteous people, and it’s heart warming to just slow down and feel a love for humanity. I’ve had times where it’s brought me to tears and I’ve had some of my best breakthroughs watching people.

3. Freaking Out Doesn’t Help Anything

I’ve been late for many flights, yet I’ve missed very few. We have to remember that sometimes once we’ve done all that we can do, we have to let go. Asking the question, “What’s the worst case scenario?” can help us realize that it’s often not that bad. So what if you miss the flight? They rebook you on another one! I sometimes remind myself that it’s already an amazing concept that I can fly across the entire United States in four or five hours. That beats the old days of horses and trains. It saddens me to often see people screaming at airline agents and TSA agents as they are rushing to make a flight. Does that really do any good? No. I’ve found that kindness wins, and the people who walk through airports with compassion and patience, usually get what they want. They get the seat they want, they get the bag fee waived, they get smiles from people passing by. Freaking out doesn’t help you or anyone.

Humans are hustlers. They want to win and you see a lot of that competitive nature in airports. Next time you fly, remember that you can be a calming influence and share your gifts of kindness, positivity, and beauty to others. Where there is chaos, there is also opportunity.

 

 

 

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Author: Brock Cannon

Photo: Flickr/Able Sudiono

Editor: Travis May