Always Something

Rushing to the airport seems to be a timeless strategy if you’re looking to bet on things going awry. There is always something.

Perhaps your luggage has doubled in size. Maybe you miss your check-out time. Worst case—you’re late for your flight.

The most common culprit, I’d propose, is leaving something behind. Despite my best efforts all year, I’ve been struck done by this fate as well. Thankfully in no significant way. Just a hat, or a book, or a singular sock.

One method of stuffing-up that might be more difficult to achieve is bringing something with you that you shouldn’t. Twice this year, I’ve walked out with the keys in my pocket, blissfully unaware. I’ll mentally note that, yes—these do need to be dropped at reception. Yet, five minutes later, I walk straight past the front desk.

You might get better at it as time goes on, but I honestly feel like the stress, anxiety, and spontaneous poor decision-making associated with traveling to an airport never ceases to have an impact. Each occasions where nothing goes wrong, I just feel lucky.