My heart went out to the poor guy.  He was already in the minority with his wife and two daughters and now his wife was questioning him out loud, certain that he wasn’t doing what she was telling him to do because she NEVER makes this mistake.  She actually said that. The entire line of passengers was stopped behind her because she was questioning their tickets, which put two of them on one side of the aisle and  two on the other side.  He never yelled or retaliated, merely stating what he had already stated several times already.  He didn’t have a ticket for 33C.

I know he didn’t because I had it.  I had already let their daughters in to sit by the window and was ready to sit down but she kept questioning.  She then told me I could move and sit with with my “friend” across the aisle and then she could sit with her teenage daughters.  Two things here; I was traveling by myself and she TOLD me I could move.  Not cool.  So I informed her that I was traveling alone while the other woman (also traveling alone) on the other side of the aisle had not said a word or moved, waiting for this perturbed woman to get over it.  We won out.

People who think they are never wrong make me crazy because I’m wrong a LOT.  Oh, I’m right some too, but like all imperfect human beings, I can be really wrong.  And after I smack myself around a little bit for being stupid, talking myself off the ledge because after all, everyone makes mistakes, I then find the other party and apologize.  It’s what you do.

There were other interesting stories at the airport yesterday.  I watched two young families where the fathers were fully engaged with their children.  This shouldn’t be so unusual, but I HAVE seen dads who sat and watched a movie on their phone or played games while mom juggled one or more children. These dads, on the other hand, each took care of making sure kids were fed, had things to do, and talked to them.  I watched one young dad reassure his wife who was looking a little more frazzled each time their toddler let out a piercing scream on the plane and they worked together to take care of the situation.  Dads who carried all kinds of baby stuff, car seats, backpacks with superheroes and unicorns on them and still focused on making sure the little guy made it up the jetway. Wonderful examples of how a family should function together. Not perfect, maybe not always right, but working together in a kind, loving way.

I also saw some interesting clothing choices.  After all, what is going to an airport but an extreme form of people watching?  Most people dress for comfort while traveling, but some seem to dress in a more eye opening way.  In a line for the women’s bathroom, I noticed a beautiful young woman in front of me wearing what I would describe as a Kim Kardashian type “catsuit”.  It left nothing to the imagination, covering just enough to be decent and it fit like a second skin.  My first thought was frankly, WOW.  My second thought was, are they going to let her on the plane in that?  But then, as I watched her constantly look at herself in the mirror she was standing next too, I noticed she didn’t seem to have any joy in her appearance.  Her seemingly critical eye kept looking at herself, and as beautiful as she was, she didn’t seem happy with what she saw.  My next thought was, how sad.  Not to presume, but I think most of us know what a young woman looks like when she feels good about herself and this just seemed different.  The mom in me just wanted to give her a hug, but I’m pretty sure that would be slightly creepy, so I’m glad I didn’t follow that instinct.

Have you noticed how many oblivious people there are looking at their phones in the airport?  They never look up, assuming, I suppose, that others of us will just look out for them and dodge out of their way.  So glad I’ve had experience teching marching band and have learned how to watch and dodge kids with instruments!  But for every oblivious person, there is another person looking out for others, finding ways to help someone with a suitcase, assisting an older person or hold something for a young mother who is juggling too much.  We were stuck on the tarmac in Atlanta yesterday afternoon due to storms and yet, the flight attendants kept smiling, and everyone else was calm and kind.  After all, life happens, right?

The great thing about people watching is, while there may be those people who REALLY want seat 33C and for the moment, it is all about them, there are so many other people who are patient, kind,  and caring.  It was a week of kind and caring for me, from my exhausted brother who got up on a Sunday morning to join me for breakfast, to old friends at a concert to honor a great teacher, to Uber drivers, airport workers and hotel staff who greeted everyone with a smile, to friends and colleagues who shared, taught, listened and hugged.  Life is good if we just people watch.