Friday, February 23, 2018

back in the land....

...of peaches! After an anxiety inducing experience at the Richmond Airport this morning when I had doubts about getting on the flight I was optimistic about squeezing into for return to ATL. I am beginning to think I need to let go of things I have no control over. Even though we are all guilty of saying we will, then grabbing them back to worry over like a dog with a chew toy, or peanut butter filled Kong.

When I got let out on the sidewalk at RIC, I went in to the Delta counter with full intentions of asking the personnel if there were still seats available on my hoped-for flight. But only got a boarding pass to get me through the TSA inspection, which is always something that causes one to be on their very best behavior. There is  no comparison between RIC and ATL - I don't think any place can compare to ATL. Isn't it the busiest in the US, if not the universe? Imagine how intimidating, overwhelming and possibly frustrating it must be to someone arriving there for the first time? And what if you did not easily speak/read/understand English?

When I got to the gate (on concourse B -the only other is A) I did ask about available seats, and was told: 'hmmm.... it's looking pretty full...',which was very disheartening. All I could do was stand around and look hopeful. Uncertain what a 'hopeful' expression looks like, but I tried my bestest to manufacture one! At one point, as we were all milling around, wearing those facial expressions of optimism, a man in a pilot's uniform came up, skirted the crowd, and slipped behind the desk with the computer monitors. I thought to myself: 'I am going to be really annoyed if he gets my seat'. Knowing full well the driver will always take priority of the riff-raff flying on the cheap!

When they put out the call for 'everyone else', I nonchalantly eased myself into the line. After sacrificing my carry on when they sounded desperate for people to check bags reporting the space in the overhead bins was rapidly diminishing. I was reluctant to send my suitcase to cargo, fearing it would go to ATL and I would not.  Then us riff-raff got on, headed to our seats amongst the tail feathers, discovering completely empty overhead bins along the way? Argghhh!

We made it back to ATL in record time, according to the driver, who reported we were fifteen minutes early for those dashing down the concourse hoping to make connections. Remarkably, my luggage had jumped onto the carousel in the terminal before I got there. Thankful again for safe travels, and a return to the land of peaches.

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