The Airport Is Human-y
& other reflections from a mom who traveled solo
The airport is one of the humany-est places I’ve ever been.
I traveled solo this weekend to visit a friend in the PNW. Aside from basking in the glory of packing my luggage with all of my own things and eating candy on the plane without having to share (all the parents in the room said, “hallelujah!”), the best part of traveling was the people-watching.
The way every half-naked, barefoot person hunches their shoulders and crosses their arms across their chests in the exact same way as they’re standing in their undershirts after taking off their zip-up hoodies and jean jackets at security—hoping and praying their belt and shoes will catch up to them any minute now and not be bumped aside for extra screening.
The synchronized enthusiastic but sheepish “whooooopps” as 50% of the people on the airport tram clumsily slam into the person next to them as it takes off a little quicker than they imagined. (They all had the same thought at the beginning of this thing: “This isn’t a rollercoaster. I don’t need to hang on.”)
How everyone in your row—including you—turns off their music and stops their movies while the flight attendant is three rows in front of them handing out snacks. But you all realize at the same time that you’ve gotten ready too early, and now you’re just all awkwardly and silently waiting for the same 0.75oz bag of mini pretzels like hungry preschoolers.
The way it’s just acceptable to fall asleep unconscious next to a couple of strangers (unless you snore or sleep with your mouth wide open—then it’s universally accepted that it’s not acceptable. And you’ll probably find a meme of you on the internet once you arrive at your destination.)
Traveling reminds me we’re all just awkward humans doing our best in the world.
And we’re all more alike than we’d ever admit.
So let’s just all have some more grace for each other, okay?
Also, while we’re on the topic of air travel, have you ever realized we are part of one of the few generations (and places of privilege) that have gotten to see the world from this vantage point? That we’re some of the lucky few who have gotten to see life from above the clouds?
We sometimes act like “jumping on a plane” is some casual thing—when really it’s a brand new, magical experience that only pretty privileged people will ever get the chance to take part in.
Just a cool thought that always inspires some deep gratitude while traveling.
Book Progress
Gahh, I’m feeling a little all-over-the-place with book progress right now! I’ve had some other commitments for the past few weeks that have taken my focus away from book stuff for a little bit.
BUT, I am very excited that we’re doing a very over-the-top marketing video and photo shoot in a couple weeks!! I hope it’s going to be cool. I think it will be—but you know, it’s hard to know when something came from your own mind. I’ve been gathering props for months, hehe. I’ll share some BTS of the shoot (without too many spoilers) in a couple weeks!
For now, here’s a photo of a very-happy me after I successfully tested the set for the first time in our garage!
(And in case you missed it, I announced the book’s topic in a newsletter a few weeks ago! Eeek!)
Three Faves
*I’m changing this from five to three faves for now because five things is a lot to come up with. “Three faves” doesn’t have the same ring to it, I know. But it’s a placeholder until I think of something more clever. ;)
Today, I made vanilla syrup to use in homemade London Fogs. Combine the syrup (homemade or store-bought), Earl Grey tea, and your milk of choice (I frothed mine), and you have yourself one of the coziest drinks ever.
Beautifying little corners of life. Our TV stand has been practically bare since we moved in, but I finally added a little candle, thrifted vase, and foraged stems to make a cute little corner that makes me so happy—especially when we watch TV at night!
Taylor Swift’s Evermore album. I rediscovered the glory of this album on the plane. (p.s. your experience will be 10x better if you can be staring out a plane window at snowy mountains in the moonlight. Just saying.)
Thanks for giving me and my chaotic thoughts a little space in your inbox every week. Talk to you on Instagram tomorrow,
Sarah