In My Own Little Corner

There is this place at the Minneapolis/ St. Paul Airport that I like to sit and watch from. It is at the very beginning of Terminal E. To the left you will find a shoe shine and digital boards listening arrivals and departures.  To the right is a wall of glass windows that give you a glimpse out onto the tarmac. The windows are inviting. Low bench like sills and pillars dividing the glass make this spot the perfect place to sit and watch people pass by while waiting for a flight.

For almost four years I have found this exact spot to be one of my favorites. This very spot has been my space as I have sat in anticipation on numerous occasions, whether it be traveling for a meeting, home to Philadelphia to celebrate Christmas with my family or off to Virginia to frolic through the mountains. I have cried in this spot. I have laughed in this spot. I have even colored and dozed off in this spot. For some reason this spot holds a unique value.

Yesterday I arrived back to Minnesota. Less than a week earlier I found shelter in this spot as I clutched my boarding pass just waiting for it to be my turn to take-off. Today, after I got off my plane I used this spot to re-organize my belongings before moving to baggage claim. But I found myself frustrated. I wanted to be able to sit in this spot, because sitting in this spot meant that I got to go somewhere.

I have to admit that I was feeling grumpy having to come back to Minnesota. I was not ready to be back. I knew my return meant finishing up the semester, as well as preparing to be out of the office for over a month.

I knew I did not have the time, nor was it reasonable, but so much of me wanted to take a seat by the window and watch the people pass by. For just that short amount of timeI could imagine that this spot was taking me somewhere else, just like I imagine the lives of the people passing by.