Merry Christmas! Today I’m driving to San Jose airport to pick
up my sister Annie, her partner Barbara and their son Corey, flying
in from Seattle.
Merry Christmas! Today I’m driving to San Jose airport to pick up my sister Annie, her partner Barbara and their son Corey, flying in from Seattle.
A lot of people view trips to the airport, any airport, for any reason, with emotions ranging from anxiety to dread. I am not one of those people.
Somewhere along the way, I was bitten by the travel bug so intensely that even airports are fun.
You’re probably thinking: Stale air, muzak, crowds, hard chairs, waiting, rude people, confusion, bad food… she must be out of her mind.
Something in me feels strangely safe and at peace in the anonymous, transient bubble of an airport.
I don’t get it either, but there we are.
This time of year, there will be a lot of people picking up family members from far away.
College freshmen will come home from their first three months away from Mom and Dad, newly adult yet probably glad to be kids again for awhile.
Some lucky service people will come home from their posts for a few hours or days of relief from their service to the rest of us.
Children now grown will bring their own families and gather around the and grandparents for some time together.
It would be great if it was all one big love fest, but we know families aren’t that simple. Sometimes during these reunions, the old tensions come bubbling back to the surface.
At the airport, the tensions are more apparent in the departing lines than at the arrival gates. The departing passengers have all the usual airport hassles to worry about: parking, finding the right check in, waiting in line… plus the kid who has to go to the bathroom, the forgotten bag, the irritating other passengers. Lurking in the back of minds is the anxiety about what awaits at their destination. Kids pick up on this and begin to whine; parents snarl and snap. Spouses carp and bicker at each other. The waiting-to-go lines are not very jolly.
By contrast, the arrival gates ring with the sounds of love and laughter. If only for a few moments, families are united in the joy of safe arrival and seeing each other again.
My family is fortunate. With both sisters in Seattle, my brother and his family in Sunnyvale and my parents in Palo Alto, we have been able to get the whole group together often over the years. We’ve shared weddings and commitment ceremonies, 75th, 80th and 85th birthdays, 50th and 60th anniversaries, and many other milestones.
We are fortunate that our parents have lived into their late 80s and have been around for many of the milestones.
Of course, we’ve had our share of tensions and awkward times. But we are bound together by love and memories.
Knowing that my parents are probably in their final chapter makes current visits even more precious.
I can’t wait to see my sister and her family. It’ll be great to have Annie here and bring her up to date, in person, on my parents and the rest of my world. I’ll go early so I’ll have time to park and lurk around soaking up that great airport vibe.
So I’m off! Maybe I’ll see you there!
