A love letter to airports

I've always loved going to the airport. I don't know if it's the excitement of going to a new place, or the fact that I think airports are where all faith in humanity is restored.

It is at airports where I have witnessed the most genuine moments of pure happiness, the most sincere kisses and the most heartening farewells.

Perhaps it is that airports hold such intricate memories in our lives. They are the plot twists to our life's journey, the gates to new beginnings and adventure. We can step onto the departure gate as one person and land at the arrival gate as another.

I can recall that nervous excitement as I stepped onto the jet bridge at the Auckland International Airport. The humidity seeping through the cracks and contrasting the cold wet winter I'd left behind in Seattle.

The words "Kia Ora" welcomed me alongside a unique sound bite of cicadas chirping in the forest. For a brief moment I was transported into the middle of the New Zealand bush, feeling as though I had entered a whole new world.

Maybe we love airports because it is here where we are forced to put our egos aside. When the airplane starts to shake, we all get scared. We all have loved ones below, and we all want to land safely.

At the terminal, we are all the same too. We all get annoyed when our flight gets delayed and let's not forget the overpriced food, no one wants to pay $12 for a mediocre sandwich.

Whatever the reason may be, I think airports offer ample opportunities to reflect, to gain perspective and to notice the world around us, it is here where we can often be reminded that there truly is...love everywhere. ✨