"Now,
here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.
If
you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as
that!"
-
The Queen of Hearts: Through the Looking Glass
“Can I go ahead of him?”
She was young and in a hurry…giving off the sense that if
she got through faster, her flight would leave earlier. It wasn’t that there was really anyone else
in the security line at the moment…we were the only two…she certainly wasn’t
asking me.
Learning to fly…
I’m a pretty frequent flyer and have learned one should ready
‘before’ getting in the final security line…so in fact I had everything except
my bag on the table ready to go through.
If there is not a hold up of some kind, I can get my things on the table
and the x-ray belt in a little under a minute.
There are two great teachers in the world of frequent flying: Missing a
flight because enough time getting to the airport was not allotted, AND
miscalculating the length of lines at security checkpoints. Fewer lessons in this world are more dearly
learned than missing a flight for one of these reasons!
Be prepared…
There are a few small things you learn when traveling, and
in particular about the security systems through which we all now pass. Being ready is an enormous stress reliever
and requires a little deliberate preparation.
It means either having slip on shoes or laces undone ahead of time…it
means getting the laptop out of the case and having it in hand before taking
the personal item bin…it means putting metal objects, phones, earphones, belts
and anything that might set off an alarm, into your laptop bag or carryon prior
to getting in line. All of these
little things add up to getting into and through security a little…sometimes a
lot…less painfully.
Most airports have multiple final lines leading through
x-ray and the final visual check. If
time is truly a concern, avoid getting in line behind parents with small
children or babies. These people tend
not to travel much, and as such don’t think about what they will have to take
off, put away or take out of their baggage in order to get through
security. Also, it serves one well to
avoid getting behind elderly couples, for often they are a little slower, and
sometimes get into brief, and interestingly combative conversations as to which
of them is holding the other up in line!
So here we were
It seemed, my young friend must have viewed me as one of
those people in the category of elderly.
With nary a nod or a yea from the security folk (or me), she jumped ahead,
tossed her things on the x-ray belt and prepared to walk through the final
check! In fact, she didn’t even excuse
herself…kind of like I wasn’t really there…THE NERVE!!
The next moments were interesting as this young woman revealed
herself to be an unseasoned traveler. She
moved in front of the sensor gate and received the ‘go ahead’. This is where karma and the universe
intervened. As she stepped through the
alarm went off. It was her belt – by now
my things were on the moving through x-ray and I was waiting for her to take
off the belt and queue back up to the portal…I waited as she went through a
second time only to find the alarm going off again. While she came back out I went through and picked
up my things.
By now, she was irritated and a bit chagrined, but for me this
was becoming a little entertaining.
I had time, so after retrieving all of my things and putting them back where
they would remain for my journey, I hung around ‘rearranging’ my laptop bag.
The girl, it turned out was wearing something in or under
her clothing that required a pat down. I
didn’t want to appear to be a deliberate audience, so I turned my head a little
to keep her in my peripheral vision and just listened. It seemed there was some metal wiring in the
one of her undergarments setting off the alarm.
From the time this young woman got into line behind me – for
what should have been no longer than a 30 to 45 second pass through – 10
minutes expired and seven or eight additional people arrived and moved through
the line.
Ah the universe, you’ve got to love it. The only thing that tempered a mild sense of
satisfaction was the memory of any number of times in my life where impatience bred
inattention…which led to repeating a task when it wasn’t necessary. You know the sayings, “There’s never enough
time to do it right the first time but always enough time to do it over,” or
“…measure twice cut once…”
While I had quiet smile about the incident and the number of
times I had been in her place, I wondered if it was a teaching moment for
her. Glancing at her face, during the
pat down, there seemed a combination of anger and maybe a little
humiliation. I did not get the sense she
saw this as anything other than a royal inconvenience…surely not a broader
teaching moment.
Two ships passing…
The girl was not on my flight, so I never saw her again, but
was reminded that no matter the circumstances, we only have control over the
thoughts about them. Disrespected or entertained? That is pretty much what it came down
to.
During the times in my life when I have had (been provided?)
uncomfortable and sometimes embarrassing ‘teaching moments,’ – there have been
many – I am clear about one thing. They did
not seem educational…it could be argued I needed an over abundance of them to
yield the benefit…you know, practice, practice, practice. In was nice to see
this situation as entertainment and not offense. It was one of those moments reminding me I am
grateful for the small lessons I have actually learned.
The rest of my journey went exceedingly well…I hope hers did
too.
- ted
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