...suddenly here I am, I'm flyyyiiinngg...sorry about that. Just channeling the Peter Pan solo I did back in the fifth grade.

I love traveling. I don’t love how mentally tired I feel from standing in security checkpoint lines or airport terminals. I definitely don’t love how physically tired I feel form lugging around my bags from Terminal A to Concourse C to Baggage Claim and Ground Transportation. I don’t love the emotional part of leaving my family and the comforts of home behind.

But I love traveling. I love how last week I flew into the Midwest and saw the mountains from all sides. I love how this week I flew into the Northeast and saw the Atlantic Ocean. The view from 10,000 feet is phenomenal. That’s still not why I love traveling so much though. Far and away, it’s the people. As soon as I think about grumbling about traveling, I think how awesome it is to encounter people in all walks of life.

For instance, I sat next to the Absent-Minded Professor today. She barely looked up and acknowledged me. She was deep in thought on the student’s essay before her. She made copious notes and gave lengthy feedback. I know this because I watched her and was in awe at her level of concentration. At one point, she spilled her water all over me and when she opened her bag of peanuts, they flew everywhere, including inside the seams of my book. The best part? The professor never looked up once. She never apologized. I don’t even think it dawned on her that any of it had happened, but I wasn’t offended. I just thought about how fortunate her students were to have a teacher that cared that much. I bet she’s a riot in class.

Then there was the family traveling with their three-year-old. She started hurling pretzels at her mother across the aisle. Her mother started to reprimand her, but then the sweet little voice said, “Mommy, I was telling you I love you. See? Four pretzels. Four words. I-love-you-mommy.” I would have been okay watching her throw that whole bag of pretzels at her mom just to find out what she was communicating!

There was an elderly lady who looked so lost and forlorn that I wanted to just go hug her. She looked like she needed one, but I was afraid she’d think I was a nutcase…which I am. But I listened to her tell a TSA official that she was traveling internationally to visit her children and grandchildren but had never flown before. At that moment, I decided I was going to go hug her, but then a nice young couple offered to assist her on the last leg of her journey and get her safely where she needed to be.

I don’t get to see and hear all of these beautiful moments outside of traveling. It’s usually because I’m so busy doing stuff that I spend little time watching people and marveling about the connections and relationships swirling all around me.

Often, friends and family comment how horrible it must be to travel often. Yes, I guess if you think about the logistics of traveling, it doesn’t sound appealing, but I pray I never take it for granted. You never know whose life you’ll touch or whose life will touch yours as you’re walking onto an airplane, shuttle or elevator.

What is your favorite traveling experience and why?