This is what happened recently.
I was waiting for my bags at LAX. It's a strange place, a mix of people coming home, people coming to visit; people who know LA like the back of their hand, people who have never seen it before. Baggage claim is the ideal time for people watching. It's amazing to see how quickly people get irritated over the silliest thing.
The board kept changing, and it was announced our bags would be delayed- again. The guy next to me grumbled, "It's like a freakin' third world country up in here." Oh, how right you are, sir! I can't tell you how many times I've been in a third world country and saw people complaining over their baggage claim delays. I mean, the nerve of those airlines! To make us wait for our bags?! The sheer indecency of it all!
That made me laugh. But what I saw next made me sad. A teenage girl, fighting back tears, arms crossed, hoodie up. I didn't know what had happened but I could imagine. I've had to fly more times than I care to count with the heavy knowledge that a person I love dearly was either dying or already dead. I remember coming back from my grandfather's funeral- where I'd been brave, brave, brave- and the second I was out of my parents sight, I burst into tears, in the middle of the security line. I sobbed as I put my stuff in bins, separated my ziploc bag filled of 3 oz liquids and took off my shoes. I padded my way through the metal detector, clad in only socks and tears, and no one said a word to me. It's an airport- there's really no room for humanity. So seeing this girl brought that all back. I thought about walking up to her, just smiling and saying, "I don't know what's going on with you, but I promise it will get better." Even if things don't get better, they do. You know what I mean?
But then a woman walked up to her, hand on her shoulder, low, comforting voice. "Honey, it's not that bad."
The girl turned and snapped at her, "It is that bad! I have to get a new ipod!"
Wow. Wow. I watched the girl yell at her grandma/family member. I waited for my bags and called my ride, pulling further and further away from the insanity of the airport.
And all I could think was, "Perspective. It's useful in more than just 7th grade art class."
With love and the prettybeautiful changing colors of leaves,
Michelle
