Missing the magic
I love to travel. Always have. I love the feel of a new place, the different smells, the different signs, the different currencies and languages (when you travel abroad).
What I’ve never cared for was the transit. The to-and-from required to be in those new places. And yet those are the unavoidable parts.
I get antsy on the way to the airport. I am itchy at the airport when checking the departure boards for gate assignments and flight status. I hate figuring out how to get out of the airport and to where I’m going - where the adventure awaits me! - once I’ve landed.
But therein lies the missing link. There is magic in all parts of the travel, not just the “fun” parts.
On my most recent trip, I had a Lyft scheduled for 6:40am 🥱 to take me to the airport. Blarg! But then I had the most lovely driver and a great conversation that veered philosophical (about relinquishing control, of all things!) and it became a little gem.
When I got to the airport, instead of immediately putting in my earbuds and listening to music, I opted to listen instead to the ambient environment. It probably shouldn’t be surprising that I noticed so much more when I didn’t tune out one of my senses.
I am probably not an airport convert (I will likely go back to plugging in next time) but it reminded me that life is in ALL the parts, not just the best parts or the easiest parts. And if I tune out those in-between parts, I’ll miss a whole lot…
