My Airport Version
I have recently returned from Chicago, where I spent several days attending a work conference and briefly transformed into what I like to call my airport version of me.
The airport version of me is a fascinating individual! She should be studied. She wakes up at 4:30 a.m. without a groan, heavy sigh or complaint. Much to the misfortune of her wallet, she willingly pays $9 for a yogurt and calls it breakfast. She walks in long strides with purpose despite having absolutely nowhere urgent to be for another two hours. She has her “electronics larger than a phone” already out of her bag way before approaching the security belt. She somehow becomes convinced that this is the trip where she will finally read the book that's been sitting on her nightstand. (She does not.)
The airport version of me is also strangely optimistic! She believes she will stay hydrated. She is sure she will not sit in uber traffic to the hotel. She plans to unpack immediately upon returning home. She hears the gate agent's announcement and convinces herself it was clear and understandable and most definitely not passive aggressive. She is wrong about most of these things.
Traveling for work always feels a little bit like borrowing someone else's life. For a few days, I become a person who knows exactly where Gate B17 is and a person who carries a laptop everywhere. A person who can survive entirely on coffee, adrenaline, a second cup of coffee at 2pm, handshakes and conference snacks.
And then! It’s over. The badge comes off and the go-to ice breakers fade. The suitcase gets unpacked. The airport version quietly disappears… and regular me returns. The one who forgets where she put her phone and who leaves laundry in the dryer too long. The one who still has a dozen tabs open in her brain at all times.
As much as I enjoy coming home, I have to admit I have a soft spot for airport me. She is organized, efficient, and she is always wearing comfortable shoes.
Most importantly, she makes me realize that there is something oddly reassuring about stepping outside your normal routine every once in a while. You come home with fresh ideas and a renewed appreciation for your own bed. And occasionally, if you're lucky, a tiny reminder that there are many versions of yourself living inside you:
The conference-going version.
The homebody version.
The ambitious version.
The exhausted version.
The healing version.
The hopeful version.
They're all still you. Some of them just happen to spend more time in airports than others.
