Observations from Gate 21

So recently, I was sitting at my gate waiting to board a flight back to DC from North Carolina. While at the gate, there are many things that one can do. Surf the net, read the paper, play sudoku, surf the net...you get my drift. But I must admit that I enjoy people watching. This has become one of my favorite pastimes. There are many places to observe people. At the mall, from the window of a Starbucks on a busy street, at the park in the summer,etc. But none of these places captivates the mind as much as the airport. It's always interesting to wonder where people are going and what they are going to do. I've learned to pay attention to how people dress as a good estimate of what their travel itinerary is. The guy who shows up to the airport in flip-flops when it 50 degrees outside;is he going somewhere warm, or is he just totally insulated from the cold weather outside and enjoys a good pair of havaianas? The guy with the big briefcase and the two-sizes too big suit. Does he really have an important meeting, or is he dressing that way in order to give the impression that he's important and wants to get upgraded to first class? The young family with stair-step kids. I wonder if they are headed to Disney World or something. These are some of the games I play in my mind about the travelers I see. It's always nice to see the serviceman/woman departing a plane in fatigues. You wonder about the horrors they may have witnessed while away and secretly thank them for the courage you could never muster to fight overseas.The sacrifice they've made is well beyond me. You begin to wonder if there is someone outside waiting to embrace them and tell them how much they were missed, or if they're returning to a cold,lonely existence that may be worse for them than where they just left. Growing up, my Grandmother would see people walking down the street and tell my little sister and I what that person was up to, or where they were going. She said it matter of factly, as if they had told her themself, and my sister and I would just laugh. I can hear her voice now; "He's just came from having a drink, and didn't go to work today,he knows better!".My Grandmother is no longer here, and as I think of her often and miss her dearly, I long for the days to be sitting next to her somewhere and have her announce the plans of an absolute stranger. And now,I find myself sitting here at gate 21 doing my best impression of Grandma.