Incoming Text: I’m at the airport. Have you arrived yet?
I didn’t recognize the number, and I’ve not flown in at least a decade, so I swiped and deleted, assuming it to be a wrong number. Two days later, I received the exact text and adjusted the narrative to Scam. Phone scams, texts, or calls make me want to engage for the briefest moment before I Swipe & Delete. When this happens, I know it is time to Archive Trek and release Suppressed Data, specifically in this case, of being connected with others in and out of airports.
I didn’t board an airplane until I founded a boxing club and traveled for events in my early thirties. Before then, I reached my destination on foot and by bicycle, car, motorcycle, bus, and train. I enjoyed planning a trip, acquiring tickets — no internet yet!- packing, standing in line, checking bags, and boarding. I took pleasure from the lift-off, pressed into my seat like loading an adventure slingshot.
On these trips, I took responsibility for monitoring the boxers’ stress levels and helping out where I could. During the flight, I relaxed, getting out of the driver’s seat for a while. I typically picked the boxers up at their homes early in the morning, drove to the airport in my old Econoline van, parked, and when we arrived at our destination, drove the rental car to the venue, so the flight, with its free meal, was close to heaven.
