Have you ever sat back and watched the people around you at the airport? I find it interesting that so many who are embarking on vacation don’t seem happy.

On my recent trip, there was plenty of opportunity to observe those around me.

Day one at the airport, there were about ten young women travelling for what appeared to be a bachelorette weekend. From the moment we boarded the shuttle from parking to the terminal, these women were full of life and laughter. And it was 4:30 am! They weren’t on my flight but certainly provided a great start to the day.

After boarding, we were told our flight would be delayed due to a mechanical issue. People around me started complaining. I was grateful the issue was found while we were on the ground and not in the air! We were asked to disembark for the twenty minutes or so it would take to resolve the issue.Three hours after the scheduled departure, our flight was cancelled. I’ll spare you the details but there were a lot of unhappy people. 

While I waited in line to rebook my flight I struck up a conversation with someone who was travelling for a medical appointment. That trumped the bank appointment and hotel I needed to reschedule. He remained positive and so did I. This was my first solo trip and I chose to look at everything, even the inconvenience, as part of the adventure.

The next day I was again at the airport at 4:30 am. I watched three teenage boys almost vibrating with excitement over their trip. In direct contrast was a woman who sat for a few minutes, got up and paced and then sat in another spot. This was repeated several times and the look on her face said she wasn’t happy to be there.

I noticed the shoes on another woman nearby and when we made eye contact, commented on them. She moved closer and we had a wonderful conversation. The difference in attitude between these two women made the wait much more pleasant for one than the other.

After the first leg of my journey I had a long walk to customs. It felt good to stretch my legs. As I was putting my shoes, purse and other belongings on the conveyor belt to be scanned, I smiled at the person in line behind me. She started grumbling about the long walk and the fact she had to take her shoes off.  Needless to say it was a short conversation! The one things I’m fairly certain of is that I arrived at my destination in a better state of mind than she did!

On my return trip I had many hours to spend between flights. The area I waited in had several vending machines. One had snacks, another had things like Tums, Tylenol and bandaids. Then there was the one that caused many people stop and investigate. It was filled with various large sets of Lego! I overhead one young boy saying, “But dad, I really, really want it. If you buy it for me you’ll be the best dad ever.” The dad walked on without responding and the boy had to follow. I imagine the best dad ever had heard that line before!

 My first solo trip was a success. Yes, I had a big inconvenience with the cancelled flight. My hand luggage was pulled aside at two different airports for a full search. At another I was subject to a pat down. The important things were I safely reached my destination and back, successfully took care of my business and spent a few days with friends. I was also able to return home with my positive attitude intact.That’s the biggest win of all.