Image by jetalone via Flickr
Three days, three cities this week: Chicago, Detroit, and then on to Boston.
While I hate being away from family and the comforts of home, I do not have any trouble passing the terminal waiting time observing my fellow travelers.
First we share the common indignity of the security checkpoint, now with the added benefit of knowing that a stranger has had the duty of examining my electronically stripped-naked, 45-year-old physique. I hope it was only my imagination that heard a muffled TSA agent’s snicker.
Once declared a non-threat to national security, we herd to our holding area, guided by TV monitors and sometimes encouraged by disembodied, amplified voices in various languages. We are often reminded to watch our step because the moving walkway is about to end. This is where my fun begins.
I am usually early, so I begin my study of human behavior. The lovers, the strangers, the families, the business people and the vacationers all pass in review as anonymous entries in my secret parade. I play spot the tattoo and try to guess the meaning behind the marking. I make up wild backstories for travel companions and try to spot who will be the unlucky stranger to spend the next several hours rubbing shoulders and thighs with me once airborne. As a super-sized traveler myself, I am sure many people are praying not to share my row on the plane.
In Boston, I mindlessly surf the internet while covertly attempting to translate a heated conversation between two foreign teens in a language even more foreign to me. I finally decide the topic is either pop culture or geo-politics and admit my defeat.
The most intriguing aspect of watching my fellow travelers is the fact that many are overburdened with what they deem as life essentials and must pull or carry in the form of carry-on luggage. If you travel, you know you are allowed only two personal carry-on items, and they must fit securely in the overhead bin or completely under your seat. Let the cramming and slamming begin as we try to fit too much stuff into too small a space.
I’m a light packer. My briefcase was long ago retired in favor of a Swiss backpack. My overhead-friendly roller-bag fits nicely into all but the smallest commuter jet’s overhead compartments. I take only what I need…at least that’s what I tell myself.
This trip’s carry-on items included three untouched magazines and one untouched presentation that needed editing. I wonder how many other people are literally dragging their lives with them wherever they go in over-packed suitcases that cost extra to check. Vacation? Bring some work along, or maybe a few trade journals for light reading. Wherever we go, there we are, and most of the time we are packing our unneeded stuff right along with us.
Those are just the suitcases we can see. Each of us is no doubt pulling many invisible suitcases and trunks chained to ourselves in the form of stainless steel memories. Burdens, fears, phobias, bad relationships, mistakes, sins and secret guilty pleasures all get past security and end up weighing our spirits down. It’s the hardest job of life, deciding what to leave behind for good.
What’s in your baggage that could probably be left behind? A simple choice to leave it is all it takes to lighten your load. For Christian believers such as me, we believe that Jesus is our Sky-Cap and is willing to gladly take on our unwanted baggage for free. All we need to do is ask for his help. No tipping required. It really is the best travel deal going.
Maybe you can choose to at least unpack and leave some unneeded history behind. Where you’ve been does not have to dictate where you’re headed. You get to choose your destination in life!
Remember to please watch your step, because the moving walkway is coming to an end sooner than any of us travelers want it to. Connecting flights offer many travel options in life, but ultimately all our traveling ends at the same terminal. As our flight steward St. Peter says, “We know you have many travel choices. Thank you for choosing to fly with us. We hope you enjoy your time in this fair city and if this is your final destination, welcome home.”
Send me a postcard when you get there. Be aware that there is limited room in the overhead, so check your bags. Welcome to a place where you choose to live a Fired Up! life.
Safe travels and Godspeed.
Ready to fire up your work and your life? I’m an executive coach from Indianapolis, and I work one-on-one with executives and managers, in person for local clients or via Zoom. If this post raised a question about your work or your next step, we should talk. The first discovery call is free and confidential. Book your discovery call, or call or text me at 317-643-0058, Monday through Friday, 9 to 5.
