Catching a flight to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, I arrived at the Atlanta airport two hours early. I would much rather be early than late. After going through security, I decided to walk to my gate, which was in concourse “D”. If any one of you knows how the Atlanta airport is stretched out, you know concourse D is oh, I would have to guess around 17 miles from security. OK, a slight exaggeration, but it felt like it to me. I took my time and studied the people around me walking to their destination. I noticed the majority of people were wearing ear buds while listening to their music or looking down at their phones. Very few people were talking to each other! What the hell has happened to us?! Technology, that is what.
I arrived at the gate only to find it had been changed and my flight was delayed by 45 minutes. I found a seat up against a wall and looked at my fellow passengers. Heads were down, and thumbs were working at lightening speed. Ear buds in or reading a newspaper. No one was talking, at least not to each other!
I decided this would end with me. I pulled my ear buds out of my ears and put my phone up. I looked around for someone to chat with. That was not an easy mission to achieve. It was hard to find someone that was not sporting the people blocker head gear, looking at their phones or reading. I spotted two ladies sitting off to the side talking to each other. What a novel idea! I approached them, introduced myself and asked if I could sit down. With a confused look on their face, they said “yes”. Believe me, that was the hardest part.
The two women were best friends from Buffalo, New York and were on the same flight as I was to Ft. Lauderdale. They were catching a cruise to Key West and Mexico. One of the ladies reminded me of Whoopi Goldberg with her antics and the way she spoke. She was funny and had been on a plane only once before. Her friend talked her into taking the cruise and the last flight. That is what I call a friend, someone who encourages others to try new things.
When our flight was called the conversation ended. I got comfy (a term used loosely on a flight) and then the ladies showed up. Their seats were next to mine! The conversation continued after take off and “Whoopi” calmed down. We talked about the different places we have been to and compared stories about Jamaica. Thirty minutes into the flight, it was nap time and the story telling ended.
This is my journey…
