Travel observations

I cannot remember a time in my life when I haven’t been a keen observer of people.  How they look, the sounds of their voices, what they are wearing, how they speak to those around them, the lines on their faces, or the curve of their smiles (or frowns).  I am fascinated by the expressions on the human face, the lines of muscles that define their shapes.  Human anatomy remains one of my absolute favorite rites of passage on the road to being a doctor.  As a primary care provider so much of what I do has nothing to do with the words I’m listening to or the sacred examination of another human’s body.  So much of my medical evaluation occurs as I observe the cadence of a voice, or the emphasis of a patient’s emotional connection to what they are telling.  Each appointment is a chance to observe triumph or  defeat being lived out in how another person dresses, or medicates (aroma of alcohol, tobacco, or drugs).  The unspoken nuances help me form a full picture of who and what I am seeing, and in turn then assist me as I work through treatment plans or prescriptions.

Traveling allows me the absolute gift of observation outside the clinical setting.   Pairing layovers with walking and people watching is probably one of my favorite things to do in this life.   So today, I am going to give the gift (or burden?) of my internal processing.  And like so many other things since March 31, 2017, this process has changed radically for me.  So first, let’s begin with my pre-wreck observations.  Then I will dive into how much better the joy is now.  

Kit and I left our 6 children at the boarding gate this morning (this should cue into your minds the Lord of the Flies).  Don’t judge.  They were safe-ish, and needed some time to behave in a more responsible way than they would in our presence.  Yes.  We were craving coffee and movement outside the confines of the millimeter of knee space provided on a plan.  As we walked, I embarked upon the joy of people watching.  Airport diversity is STUNNING!  The runway model travelers perplex me the most.  How can a person go from recycled air flight to recycled air flight and LITERALLY look like they are ready to do a photo shoot?  Always this provokes envy in me.  I would like to think that’s my bag, but it’s not. The body-building-fitness fanatics absolutely geek me out.   I imagine what anatomy lab would have been like if I could have seen those muscles in high definition.  Properly placed tattoos on just the right muscle bulges make me giggle.  Then there are the performance athletes; some dressed in team gear, or suits, and all seem like behemoth humans.  One look and one can be assured they can handle themselves.

Brand name travelers come in multiple varieties.  Some are so fashion forward, each article of clothing is perfectly coordinated.  Others are sharp and look like they literally came off the pages of a catalogue (are those even made any longer).  Others still brandish sporty brand name clothing and gear.  The Brands being tastefully, or not so much, displayed. 

The natural deodorant crowd comes dressed in so many varieties, and yet their human scent is unmistakable…and often reroutes my walking path.   The perfume crowd also causes me to recoil a bit as the strong perfumes often cause a bit of a headache in this migraine prone mess of a traveler.  In honesty, I also reroute around loud talkers “speaking” with authority into their ear buds.  I really cannot even say more about that group.  I’m at a loss. 

Carry on luggage for a family of 8!

I see the parents traveling with a gaggle of kids (of course I see them, I am them).  Some parents have infants in arms, and the sway of a momma trying to keep her babe asleep beckons to days not so far gone in my recent past.  The J Crew couples fascinate me, dressed so sharply, and so similarly.  Is it true that longer we are with another human, we really do begin to favor each other?  Then there are the quirky dressers, with radically prominent hair colors and styles, and colors and patterns that for sure were not planned for each other.  Surely they are not quirky to themselves?  If I tried to be like them, I would certainly look like a sadly dressed clown, and yet it works for these fabulous people.  I think they are like the sprinkles on the cake of life.  Love it!  Love them. 

I find myself choking back chuckles as I spot the messy millennial man buns hopping down the concourse, the final touch atop a flannel shirt and skinny jeans wearing individual with some form of a laced up boot.  But then I wish I could pull up a bar stool next to the farmers and ranchers that are straight out of the ranch, with their lovely wives destined for a winter vacation prior to calving or spring planting.  Scholarly article reading folks make me long for high backed chairs, upholstered rooms, wood paneling and pipes that I imagine used to be a staple in the East Coast Ivy League institutions.

The disheveled travelers appear to have barely made it out of bed on time, possibly showered at some point in the last week, and surely are completely unaware of whether or not their clothes match or are clean.  It’s odd that I immediately assume they are not certain where they are headed.  On the other end of the spectrum women who are getting away for a girls trip are always so happy, and appear to hae a great sense of their own direction:  as far as possible away from reality back home.  Folks traveling for work are so often dressed for the part and seem to have the “game face” perfected.  Seeing them makes me love that I don’t have to travel for work.   

I love passing flights to tropical places.  So often the travelers, most from vastly different places, are commonly dressed in tropics gear and appear to be already on island time.   Hard to guess what career paths these folks came from, and I usually just want to sit down and redirect my own destination when seeing this crowd.  But my all time favorites are the worn and haggard travelers.  These are my people.  Traveling does not do our hair any favors.  Make-up, if applied, is no longer helping out hiding the reality of early mornings and cranky kids, or the utter deficit of strong coffee.  I like to think we make up the nitty gritty crowd; there is no time for the luxury of pretense. 

How I absolutely love to see the colorful diversity of people who are all different nationalities speaking different languages and relating to each other with different inflections and cultures norms than my own.  I imagine other parts of the world and how vastly beautiful God made this planet.  Heaven will be so beautifully complex and diverse.  Often my mind will begin to wonder what my life would have looked like had I been born in another country.  And seeing this group of folks often makes me crave foods from all over the world.  American food is not nearly as exciting as downright crazy- good flavors from all over the world. 

But all of that is pretty much where I would stop before.  I might have imagined where they were heading, or why they were traveling.  But after we nearly died, I began to ask God to help me see people with His eyes; to love more and not to judge in my observations.  And so now, I take in the outward, and it is only the start (often it is just down right comical).  But outward quickly gives way to my intense desire to know their stories and who they really are.  C.S. Lewis once wrote about the tragedy of going through this life and missing out on the beauty of seeing the immortal beings we all are.  Stunning immortal beings, radiant with light, each one created and loved, by God and each one with an eternal soul.  Each person I’ve seen today has a story.  Some are tragic and painful.  Some are triumphant.  Each one is on a journey, maybe for a sweet reprieve or headed home.  Some are headed to say good bye one last time.  Some look like perfection on the outside, but feel broken just below the façade of put-together on the outside.  Some of these beautifully complex people just said good-bye to their families, and are going to be gone for long stretches, serving their country above their broken hearts.  Some of the people I saw today may not make it to their destination, as life’s diversions happen without much warning.  I wonder what those folks will feel like when they go to sleep tonight.  Will they be stunned by the turn of events away from how they envisioned their day?

I want to know the people that I am encountering; immortal souls traveling some road that just happened to intersect with mine today.  There isn’t enough time to know them all, but I am fully aware of how intensely they are loved and known by their Creator.  Before that night facing death, I would find my mind drifting towards being judgmental, but now I feel love bubbling up and over out of me.   At one point this morning Kit and I found ourselves walking in front of a man yelling into his phone just about every curse word I’ve ever heard about his delayed flight.  In the past I would have been offended, and slightly upset over his utter unawareness of others around him.  But today I found myself initially wanting to pray for him and for peace to prevail in his being.  And then I prayed that God would gently expand his heart and eventually his vocabulary.  I actually didn’t feel judgment, just compassion, and longing for him to see life through an eternal perspective; for him to see that sometimes delays are gifts that enrich the fabric of our lives.  (And yes, sometimes they are merely annoying, but should never have the power to rob us of joy.) 

 

Now I see layer upon layer of diverse stories, all sharing a common moment in one crowded location.  I try to smile at as many people as I possibly can.  Each of us needs human connection, even if it is just for a few lingering seconds of eye contact.  The biggest question that lingers in my heart as I walk is how many of these people, from all the different looking crowds, know they are loved.    And even while life is hard, God loves them so completely, longing to be a part of their everyday, every moment.  I praise God that He doesn’t expect us to all look like clones.  He enjoys the diversity of this giant planet and delights in our differences.   What would the world look like today if those of us who profess Jesus, actually walked around seeing people as He saw them?  What if we dared to turn each encounter into a chance for connection?  What if we could see with love?  I am certain that I am better for the glimpses into the immortal beauty of each of us. 

This conversion of my “sight” began as a direct result of the largest diversion from my expectations I’ve ever experienced.  I was just trying to get home one night when life took a turn into a direction I would never have chosen.   And as a result, a day of travel does not get to steal my joy.  It could even be that as others “people watch” me, they wonder why I look like grinning fool, as if I am unaware that travel days are not exactly enjoyable.   But here is the truth:  today has been such a gift, and all I have done is gotten up way too early, had way too little coffee, squeezed into a seat that is completely too small, and encountered an inordinate number of contagious microbes…all while walking amidst beautifully created immortal souls traveling some road that just happened to intersect mine.  What’s not to enjoy about that?