An observer on observations....
Travelling makes for an interesting day. There has never been a time that I haven’t had an eyebrow raised or a smile on my face while I am people watching in an airport. Airports, I find, have a plethora of individuals to watch, obviously, and I dare say that even Sigmund Freud would have a field day with the many phobias, isms, and the like to write many, many papers and books.
Take for example this couple that was waiting to board the flight I was on. He was wheelchair bound and rather big, in both height and girth, and she was petite, couldn’t have weighed more than 105 soaking wet, and yet here she was pushing her beloved towards the boarding gate until the gate agent stopped her. The agent then called for assistance for this couple so that the little old lady and her not so little old man could get on board safely. The determination in her face to make sure that her husband was taken care of was obvious and the love that he had for her was even more obvious, although it seemed to me to be mixed with a bit of sorrow that she had to help him as much as she does. Yet, I don’t think that this had even occurred to her judging from her body language and her facial expressions, she was just taking care of the man that she loved the best way that she possibly could.
Another example of the human condition was that of followers. When I saw this group, I instantly thought of the animal kingdom and how the pack mentality works. There was an obvious leader, and much to my surprise, it wasn’t the obvious one who seemed to be the husband….it was the sole woman of the group who was looking at a piece of paper and the various gate areas for their flight out. Following them was an older gentleman, who seemed to be the father of I would say the husband as they looked very much alike, two teenagers and two younger children, roughly about eight or ten years old. It was like watching fish swim…when the leader veered off to the right, they would follow with a right flank. When she veered off to the left, they followed. When she stopped, you could almost smell the burning of rubber as they all came to sudden stops.
The quiet ones were all around me. Most of them were reading, some were playing on tablets or portable games, some were observing like I was and a few were sleeping (thankfully, we encountered no snorers in the group). The observers are as much fun to watch as the rest of the other groups. When you catch the eye of one of them, there is an unseen camaraderie between you and them, a smile, a nod and then turning of the heads to find the next interesting individual to watch. Little escapes their watchful eyes, but every once in a while we all zone out from the sheer volume of people that need to be seen by us.
The parents travelling with little children or babies are a group that bears special praise. We all know that the parents were up a full four hours at least before their journey to the airport to get their little ones and themselves ready to go. There are diapers to change, bags to fill with the requisite diapers, bottles, toys, multiple changes of clothing, food if necessary and if it were possible, a bag for their sanity that so hangs in the balance whenever they have to fly anywhere. Its not that all children or babies are bad on flights, its just that there is so much to remember, so much to consider and to keep it all compartmentalized in such a way that each one is easily accessible, that even the most patient of beings can be tried at times. Then the parent has to make sure that all of their things are in order so as not to cause a backup in any lines that they may find themselves in. ID, passports, boarding passes all have to be in easy reach. Pacifiers, bottles, diapers, wipes and quiet toys have to be where they can be obtained at a moments notice. Then there’s the corralling of the ones that are mobile enough to get away. I have seen the wrist bands with the coils that connect Mom or Dad to the little one so that they are always within reach, heck, I’ve even seen a backpack leash used, although I really don’t care much for those, too much like training your dog for my taste. Of course, then there is the old stand-by…the stroller, which the inventor of such an item should have received the Nobel Prize for peace, I swear! Just let a little one take off on their own with Mom or Dad in hot pursuit after them and you can see what I mean about the peace prize.
Then you have folks like my Mouse. They are perhaps the happiest of travelers, I think. There’s not much that can escape their attention, they’re like little squirrels themselves in that they are always looking for the next interesting thing. Occasionally they have their issues, like they can’t keep their pants up high enough (think Urkle here) or can’t keep their shoes tied. Bags are usually in the form of backpacks and sometimes their i.d.’s are in little plastic envelopes attached to a lanyard around their necks. Rarely to I see one of these wee folk unattended, but when I do, they are a pure joy to watch.
I remember one time that Mouse had issues with underwear. It was when the concourses were still open to the general public and you could go to the gate to greet your arriving visitors. As we were walking along, it occurred to Mouse that she was getting a pretty bad wedgie, so as she was walking, she was also picking her seat….that’s when Beth and I decided to fall back a few paces, a rather respectable distance and keep her in our sights all the while disassociating ourselves from the crazy person who was walking along, picking her seat and fussing at herself rather loudly. I wish that I was able to record the whole experience because I’m sure that it would have won America’s Funniest Home Videos for sure or could have been featured on Candid Camera. The looks on passing individual’s faces was pure gold, I have to admit that this was pure uncut entertainment at its finest, and Mouse could have cared less, she had a wedgie that certainly was driving her mad.
Finally, there are those people who take care of the flights themselves. Some are friendly and are there to meet and greet and get you where you are going. Some are there to just do their jobs and get home. Then there are those who are in between the two factions. They are generally friendly and will meet and greet you as needed, but don’t interrupt their trains of thought or the process of processing the flights unless you are called or are being spoken to, it could be detrimental to your flying experience! Seriously, those that are grumpy and uncooperative are few and far between, at least I haven’t seen many that are rude and discourteous in all my years of flying, and I have flown all my life. The ones who are that way, however, in my opinion should have to endure a Dale Carnegy or Tommy Thomas course to find out what they need to know on how to win friends and influence people without turning into Jabba the Hut or some sort of other mythical beast. I have to remind myself at those times that I need to take the high road and deal with the situation on a logical, calm, non-emotional level or I might find myself being detained and not able to get where I’m going that day.
So, for now, since I am on the plane and the observing is muted I will sign off.
Have an awesome weekend and an amazing week, folks!
Take for example this couple that was waiting to board the flight I was on. He was wheelchair bound and rather big, in both height and girth, and she was petite, couldn’t have weighed more than 105 soaking wet, and yet here she was pushing her beloved towards the boarding gate until the gate agent stopped her. The agent then called for assistance for this couple so that the little old lady and her not so little old man could get on board safely. The determination in her face to make sure that her husband was taken care of was obvious and the love that he had for her was even more obvious, although it seemed to me to be mixed with a bit of sorrow that she had to help him as much as she does. Yet, I don’t think that this had even occurred to her judging from her body language and her facial expressions, she was just taking care of the man that she loved the best way that she possibly could.
Another example of the human condition was that of followers. When I saw this group, I instantly thought of the animal kingdom and how the pack mentality works. There was an obvious leader, and much to my surprise, it wasn’t the obvious one who seemed to be the husband….it was the sole woman of the group who was looking at a piece of paper and the various gate areas for their flight out. Following them was an older gentleman, who seemed to be the father of I would say the husband as they looked very much alike, two teenagers and two younger children, roughly about eight or ten years old. It was like watching fish swim…when the leader veered off to the right, they would follow with a right flank. When she veered off to the left, they followed. When she stopped, you could almost smell the burning of rubber as they all came to sudden stops.
The quiet ones were all around me. Most of them were reading, some were playing on tablets or portable games, some were observing like I was and a few were sleeping (thankfully, we encountered no snorers in the group). The observers are as much fun to watch as the rest of the other groups. When you catch the eye of one of them, there is an unseen camaraderie between you and them, a smile, a nod and then turning of the heads to find the next interesting individual to watch. Little escapes their watchful eyes, but every once in a while we all zone out from the sheer volume of people that need to be seen by us.
The parents travelling with little children or babies are a group that bears special praise. We all know that the parents were up a full four hours at least before their journey to the airport to get their little ones and themselves ready to go. There are diapers to change, bags to fill with the requisite diapers, bottles, toys, multiple changes of clothing, food if necessary and if it were possible, a bag for their sanity that so hangs in the balance whenever they have to fly anywhere. Its not that all children or babies are bad on flights, its just that there is so much to remember, so much to consider and to keep it all compartmentalized in such a way that each one is easily accessible, that even the most patient of beings can be tried at times. Then the parent has to make sure that all of their things are in order so as not to cause a backup in any lines that they may find themselves in. ID, passports, boarding passes all have to be in easy reach. Pacifiers, bottles, diapers, wipes and quiet toys have to be where they can be obtained at a moments notice. Then there’s the corralling of the ones that are mobile enough to get away. I have seen the wrist bands with the coils that connect Mom or Dad to the little one so that they are always within reach, heck, I’ve even seen a backpack leash used, although I really don’t care much for those, too much like training your dog for my taste. Of course, then there is the old stand-by…the stroller, which the inventor of such an item should have received the Nobel Prize for peace, I swear! Just let a little one take off on their own with Mom or Dad in hot pursuit after them and you can see what I mean about the peace prize.
Then you have folks like my Mouse. They are perhaps the happiest of travelers, I think. There’s not much that can escape their attention, they’re like little squirrels themselves in that they are always looking for the next interesting thing. Occasionally they have their issues, like they can’t keep their pants up high enough (think Urkle here) or can’t keep their shoes tied. Bags are usually in the form of backpacks and sometimes their i.d.’s are in little plastic envelopes attached to a lanyard around their necks. Rarely to I see one of these wee folk unattended, but when I do, they are a pure joy to watch.
I remember one time that Mouse had issues with underwear. It was when the concourses were still open to the general public and you could go to the gate to greet your arriving visitors. As we were walking along, it occurred to Mouse that she was getting a pretty bad wedgie, so as she was walking, she was also picking her seat….that’s when Beth and I decided to fall back a few paces, a rather respectable distance and keep her in our sights all the while disassociating ourselves from the crazy person who was walking along, picking her seat and fussing at herself rather loudly. I wish that I was able to record the whole experience because I’m sure that it would have won America’s Funniest Home Videos for sure or could have been featured on Candid Camera. The looks on passing individual’s faces was pure gold, I have to admit that this was pure uncut entertainment at its finest, and Mouse could have cared less, she had a wedgie that certainly was driving her mad.
Finally, there are those people who take care of the flights themselves. Some are friendly and are there to meet and greet and get you where you are going. Some are there to just do their jobs and get home. Then there are those who are in between the two factions. They are generally friendly and will meet and greet you as needed, but don’t interrupt their trains of thought or the process of processing the flights unless you are called or are being spoken to, it could be detrimental to your flying experience! Seriously, those that are grumpy and uncooperative are few and far between, at least I haven’t seen many that are rude and discourteous in all my years of flying, and I have flown all my life. The ones who are that way, however, in my opinion should have to endure a Dale Carnegy or Tommy Thomas course to find out what they need to know on how to win friends and influence people without turning into Jabba the Hut or some sort of other mythical beast. I have to remind myself at those times that I need to take the high road and deal with the situation on a logical, calm, non-emotional level or I might find myself being detained and not able to get where I’m going that day.
So, for now, since I am on the plane and the observing is muted I will sign off.
Have an awesome weekend and an amazing week, folks!
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