Look UP

I'm at the airport sitting at my gate.

My shoes are on the ground to my left, and I'm wearing pants that are allowing me to comfortably sit cross-legged in my seat. 

To all of the women who travel in pencil skirts and stilettos - may the force be with you.

I'm also trying not to breathe, as the guy sitting near me can't stop coughing.

(Reaches for Thieves spray)

As I finish spraying myself and the surrounding area, I begin to people watch. 

Yes, I am the creepy girl sitting in the corner, watching your every move.

(Wink face)

After a while, I walk over to purchase a five-dollar bottle of water and notice the long row of people standing behind one another at Starbucks. 

How many of you enjoy waiting in line?

I don't know about you, but I'd rather hot glue Cheetos to my eyebrows than stand in line - especially if it's long. 

Google says: The average person throughout their lifetime spends five years waiting in lines and queues.

That is a significant amount of time, don't you think? And judging by the people of the Terminal 2 Starbucks, I'd say most of them are choosing to pass the time on their phones. 

(Takes sip of overpriced water)

Earlier, as I'm waiting to check my bag, I was busy on my phone trying to respond to e-mails and text messages. I finally felt there was a little time to give everyone a quality response. But instead of trying to reply to everything before being next up in line, I stopped and decided to just be in the moment. So I threw my phone back in my purse. I cursed "F-it" out loud in my head, put some Valor behind my ears, and chose to simply wait. 

And I'm so glad I did.

As my eyes opened to the world around me, I met a very nice man named Steve, and his lovely wife, Sharon. She had on an adorable jacket, so I decided to compliment her. They asked where I was flying to, and I said, "South Padre Island, Texas." He chuckled and said, "You can't fly into South Padre sweetie. Do you mean Harlingen?" Silly me, of course, I do. He goes on to say they have traveled there over every Thanksgiving for the past 15 years. Needless to say, I got the inside scoop on where to go and what to see. From the best dive bars to the best places to watch the sunset. 

Steve and Sharon - thank you.

I Google everything; and that experience with them was a thousand times more rewarding than asking Google, "Best places to eat."

And by the way, you don't need to be an extrovert to put your phone away and smile. 

This guy over here seriously won't stop coughing.

(Takes another sip of water/applies hand sanitizer)

I also was surprised, when I walked over to the gate, to see two younger boys playing cribbage. For some reason, it made me happy. It's like a rare occasion to actually see people interacting with each other anymore, especially younger kids. I almost wanted to tell them I was proud to not see them on their tablets or iPads - like I'm a 60-year-old woman. Even though their mom and dad were nose deep in their phones. But these boys were laughing out loud, and talking about a girl that one of them was interested in - it was pretty cute. 

 Next time you find yourself waiting in line, or waiting in general, notice how many people are disengaged. Notice families at restaurants, all sharing a table together, but no one is looking up. Everyone is emotionally detached.

How does that make you feel? 

I dare you to look up and put your phone away. Look up and try finding something beautiful. It doesn't need to be some grand display. It could simply be a bouquet of flowers or the lighting in a coffee shop. Notice and appreciate the little things everyone else is too busy to see. Practicing mindfulness will help slow you down. Simply embrace what's in front of you. 

What are you missing while you edit your Instagram photos or level up in Candy Crush?

Be here now.

Be somewhere else later. 

Is that so hard?

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