My favorite place to kick back and kill an hour is in Piazza Della Signoria in Florence. Pick any cafe, provide me with a cup of espresso or glass of wine and I will make up stories in my head about the passers by. But usually I’m with someone and this is much more fun when you have a buddy to share these ridiculous hypotheses with.
When I’m alone, airports are my go to place for people watching. Right now, I’m sitting at Gate 42 in the Jet Blue area awaiting my take off to Austin. And I’m surrounded by some great people to watch.
I made a beeline for a seat that had power, so I could charge my phone while waiting to board. It also has me centrally located which offers me prime viewing of other passengers. Who needs extra leg room when I’ve got this perk?
The kid sitting directly to my right is classic. He’s literally three inches away from me so I can readily observe his surfing of the “knowyourmeme.com” website since he sat down. He is apparently quite taken with cats. He’s got the pallor of a kid who has spent way too much time in front of his computer, but I am guessing he can code like a freak. Which means I might be sitting next to tomorrow’s newest billionaire. Hhhhhheeeeeeyyyyy. (Okay…that was a joke. We’ve learned that a huge wallet alone doesn’t do it for me; but neither do the super soft hands found on many a developer. My dad once pointed this trait out to me in a guy I liked, and it has never escaped my brain. I could write for hours on this topic alone, but I digress…)
To my left there are two chatty college age girls. Pierced faces and elfin haircuts. They are dressed similarly and I am convinced they are a couple until their conversation shocks me otherwise. They have formed a fast friendship, and are comparing notes on their crappy freshman dorm situations. Their conversation is awkward as all get out, but it’s cool to see totally random people connecting like this.
And then in walks the Asian version of me ten years ago. This woman has a baby strapped to her front, a toddler attached to her leg and a coffee in hand. Her husband trails behind them by 20 paces, chatting happily on his cell phone. She looks wiped out already, and dreading the flight ahead. They have been seated in the waiting area for five minutes and there is a mosaic pattern of Cheerios on the floor the baby is grabbing for because they have spilled. She looks up and offers me a weak smile. I immediately identify and empathize with this woman.
Zoom ahead…I am now sitting across the aisle on the plane from the little family. There goes the quick nap I was hoping for. But I got to play with two adorable kids and help out a mom who took what was likely her first trip to the bathroom by herself in ages. (Not trying to bag on men here, but you can guess what the husband was doing right? Yep, dude was catching my hard earned snooze. I wanted to smack him in the head for her. And me.)
It was a great moment to remember back to when my kids were that small and I prayed they would behave on flights. So glad I’m past that stage. Can’t wait to head back to the airport tomorrow to see what’s in store for me. I wondered what stories the bored people there will be making up about me?!
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