I left Florida for Burlington, Vermont this past Wednesday. I flew Delta airline which pretty much guarantees a layover in Atlanta. The layover was quite a long one this time, which is fine with me. I much prefer having the time I need to get from one gate to the next.
When I got to Atlanta, I looked at the departure board and went to find the gate for my connecting flight. There were only a few people sitting at that gate so I dropped my bag in one chair and settled into another. I checked e-mails and read for a bit. Then I plugged in my earphones and listened to a guided meditation. I did not fall asleep, but I did slip into a nice, relaxed space in spite of the airport noise. At the end, I opened my eyes. The gate area had really filled right up.
I looked around, people watching in my zoned out state. I could hear lots of Southern accents. Well, I was in Atlanta. Most of passengers in waiting were Black and I didn't think anything about that. There must have been quite a number of Hispanic people as well because in addition to the Southern accents, I heard a lot of Spanish.
I swear it was fifteen minutes before the penny dropped. This is very unlikely -- a crowd of this particular make-up and of this size particularly going to VT? In November? Why am I going to VT in November? And i live there. I looked at the Gate display which no longer said flight to BTV but Jackson, Mississippi instead.
I found another departure board. The Burlington flight had been switched to another, much smaller gate. Fortunately, it was a gate not too far away.
I went to the new gate and immediately recognized that I had the right one. I was surrounded with people in plaid flannel shirts and fleece vests, Boston Red Sox caps, running shoes or clogs, and rumpled hair. Yep, this was a crowd clearly bound for Vermont.
I should know by now that flight gates are often switched around in the Atlanta airport. It's a real trick to be able to meditate in a noisy airport, but probably not the wisest thing to do.
When I got to Atlanta, I looked at the departure board and went to find the gate for my connecting flight. There were only a few people sitting at that gate so I dropped my bag in one chair and settled into another. I checked e-mails and read for a bit. Then I plugged in my earphones and listened to a guided meditation. I did not fall asleep, but I did slip into a nice, relaxed space in spite of the airport noise. At the end, I opened my eyes. The gate area had really filled right up.
I looked around, people watching in my zoned out state. I could hear lots of Southern accents. Well, I was in Atlanta. Most of passengers in waiting were Black and I didn't think anything about that. There must have been quite a number of Hispanic people as well because in addition to the Southern accents, I heard a lot of Spanish.
I swear it was fifteen minutes before the penny dropped. This is very unlikely -- a crowd of this particular make-up and of this size particularly going to VT? In November? Why am I going to VT in November? And i live there. I looked at the Gate display which no longer said flight to BTV but Jackson, Mississippi instead.
I found another departure board. The Burlington flight had been switched to another, much smaller gate. Fortunately, it was a gate not too far away.
I went to the new gate and immediately recognized that I had the right one. I was surrounded with people in plaid flannel shirts and fleece vests, Boston Red Sox caps, running shoes or clogs, and rumpled hair. Yep, this was a crowd clearly bound for Vermont.
I should know by now that flight gates are often switched around in the Atlanta airport. It's a real trick to be able to meditate in a noisy airport, but probably not the wisest thing to do.
Yikes, that was a bit scary. Good thing you regained consciousness in time.
ReplyDeleteYou got back in time for the record cold. Hope you didn't miss all the fall color.
They seem to be doing that more these days. I used to be more relaxed once I got my gate, but now am more cautious. Have a nice trip home.
ReplyDeleteHow funny. I get really tense with the noise and people moving around at airports. I've never meditated so don't know if it would help me any, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. I did have the gate change happen to me once and it was a long way away and I remember running with bags in had. No fun.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your description of sizing up the situation based on how people looked. We have a Seattle look too, much like your Vermont look.
ReplyDeleteGood thing you came out of your daze and lucky the other gate was close by. My granddtr says Atlanta is her favorite airport, but not mine — maybe when I was younger. Seems like any gate change I’ve had was always at the point furthest from where I deplaned.
ReplyDeleteI would have been panic stricken and raced to the correct gate with a pounding heart. You sound like you were calm.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness you got the hint from subtle clues that something was amiss. I probably would have attempted to board the aircraft and get thrown into the klink by the TSA. After about 12 to 36 hours, the bureaucracy would finally figure out that I am just senile, not a terrorist.
ReplyDeleteWow, I thought you were going to say that you missed your flight. Glad you found your new gate in time.
ReplyDeleteI love that you said this about the flannel shirts etc. You see my husband and I would play this game in the airport. We both traveled a great deal for our jobs. You learn the things that are endemic to the area even the clothing. So we would play that game. Once while our flight was delayed for hours, we sat at a table and chairs and watched people walk by. We would decide their destinations. A silly game to pass time. We never knew if we were right but it passed the time and we amused ourselves. Until one day a man in a very expensive suit sat down across from us. My husband looked at me and said, "I don't know where he is going but he's wearing his wife's panties." For some reason, perhaps because we were exhausted, I laughed a big belly laugh. Now every one was looking at me and probably was trying to decide if she was drunk during her layover. :-)
ReplyDeleteI had to smile at this! Glad you "came to your senses" and were in time at the right gate for your flight. Good deductive reasoning...
ReplyDeleteClose call. I can see that you are an intuitive thinker. I loved how you wondered if you were at the right gate. I’m glad you made it.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been missing. I hope to return to blogging soon.
You have beautifully described the situation. Enjoyed reading them.Normally i also used to roam here and there for sometimes rather than sitting in a place...
ReplyDeleteI love how you concluded that the make up of passengers in the gate area just felt wrong for a particular destination. These days that is becoming less obvious on international flights.
ReplyDeleteHi Confessions of a GrandmaTeam,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Anuj Agarwal. I'm Founder of Feedspot.
I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog Confessions of a Grandma has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 50 Grandparent Blogs on the web.
https://blog.feedspot.com/grandparent_blogs/
I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 50 Grandparent Blogs on the internet and I’m honored to have you as part of this!
Also, you have the honor of displaying the badge on your blog.
Best,
Anuj