#1 People don’t people watch at airports anymore – they phone watch. Everywhere I looked, I saw people looking down at their phones. No one paid any attention to others around them. Could this be a major contributing factor to the increasing narcissism in our society? Years ago, I friend of mine had a professor make the prediction that “the Walkman will ruin the art of conversation. People will listen to a device and stop talking to each other.” We were so enamored with the new technology that we couldn’t fathom this prediction coming true. And then the iPod came along and the iPhone. And now people don’t people watch or talk to interesting people in airports. They watch their phones.
#2 The older lady with the big hair (big even by Texas standards), colorful shirt and turquoise leggings either didn’t know I was eating my lunch on the other side of the piece of glass behind her – or didn’t care. But I could see her. I could see her take sani-wipes out of her purse, stick her hand down her shirt and wipe her armpits. Yep. I could see that. (Maybe #1 isn’t so bad.)
#3 They have vending machines in the airport for diapers and baby wipes and baby shampoo. That would have been helpful about 24 years ago when I flew with an infant in her last diaper – praying she didn’t poop.
#4 Life vests for infants are stored in the overhead compartment at the back of the plane! Or you can request one. Adult life vests are stored under the adults’ butts. So the plane goes down and the parent at the front of the plane (or even the middle) has to rely on hysterical, possibly narcissistic (see #1) passengers to pass a life-saving device for the infant.
“Excuse me Mr. Businessman that was irritated by my crying infant during takeoff, can you please hand me a life vest for my child before you go down the life-saving slide to safety? Please?”
Umm, I think not. As a new grandma, if I travel over water with my grandbaby girl, I’m getting the life vest before I buckle my seat belt!
Where is the common sense? What person decided it was best to store infant life vests in one place – at the back of the plane? Or have to request one? Request one from whom?
#5 A full breast pat down isn’t so bad. Why all the ruckus?
#6 When the lady looks at my three carry-ons and tells me I can only have two and that I need to put my purse inside one of the bags, SHE MEANS IT! Like right now! While I’m watching you! Not before you get on the plane or even before you take one more step! RIGHT NOW! RIGHT NOW! COMBINE YOUR CARRY-ONS! WHILE I’M WATCHING YOU! RIGHT NOW!
#7 The young gal sitting next to me was wearing one of those popular “slouchy” beanie hats. When the plane took off, she pulled the hat down over her face and leaned her seat back. I was afraid that she would suffocate so I looked a little closer. It appeared she could breathe out of her mouth so I quit being creepy by peering at her and pretended what she was doing was completely normal. She rode the entire flight with her hat covering her face. For those of you that grew up watching Fat Albert on Saturday mornings, you will understand when I say that I felt like I was sitting next to “Dumb Donald” from the Fat Albert cartoon – except she didn’t have eye holes.
On a side note – a very side note, can you imagine having a show today with a character called “Dumb Donald?”
By the way, pulling your hat down over your entire face is not normal. And I pray it never is.
#8 When traveling, there is always room for kindness and compassion. Always. Help the elderly couple get their bags up on the x-ray machine’s conveyor belt. Or, when they get flustered about having to take off their belts, walk through a space-age looking machine with their hands in the air or fear a full-breast pat down (see #5) and walk off without putting their bag on the machine, do it for them. (Unless you think they aren’t really flustered, elderly people but terrorists instead.)
…I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things
to someone who was being overlooked or ignored,
that was Me – you failed to do it to Me.
Matthew 25:45
What is your strangest traveling experience?
Stümper vs. Kopfnuss 1:1 (0¼pS)tÃ:m0er mit dem besseren Spiel und sicherlich eher mit den Chancen auf den Sieg gegen das letzte Aufgebot von Kopfnuss!