The past two weeks have been a blur of old friends, new ideas, school, exams, packing, and flying. But, I am HOME now. It is nice (and a little bittersweet) to be home.

Airports are such interesting places. So, I have this friend who works at the airport. And simply knowing him (and hearing some of his random stories) makes me see airports totally differently. So, yesterday, as I was flying from BWI, I tried to count how many airport employees I came in contact with (meaning I had to talk to them, hand them something, or take something from them). 10 people in 30 minutes. I came in contact with 10 people. And each of these people are people that have lives as complex and diverse as our own. It’s so easy when you’re at an airport to get so caught up in the goal: making it to the gate on time (or making sure you’re in the front of the B line so you don’t end up with a middle seat). We end up not actually seeing the people that are making things work. I always have to give mad props to facilities and operations type people. Seriously, our world would be chaos if not for these smart smart smart people. Next time you have some time to kill at an airport, look around and see how much planning and work had to be done to get you to your gate. Did you notice the housekeeping lady that makes sure the trash in the bathroom isn’t overflowing? 20 bucks says she’s a super-nice person. Say hi to her next time. Did you notice all the monitors telling you arrivals and departures in the lobby? Someone had to decide that that would be helpful for you someday.

I went to a retirement lunch for an old coworker of mine. And, I was really moved because he had worked for the State all his life. Started out as a high school kid, cleaning glassware for the lab. By the time he retired, he was doing extremely important diagnostic testing for the State. So, at his luncheon, he made it a point to invite the janitors for our building that he was friends with and the young glassware prep guys. He was telling the rest of us to make it a point to protect these guys. He challenged us to shun the social stratification that creates this relational hierarchy of us and them. That we all need each other. No one is dispensable. No one is more important.

Ok, I’m done soapboxing for now. Time to clean the house…