I used to love to drink in airport bars. In my mind: I was celebrating lift off of a vacation, sitting elegantly at the bar chatting with strangers, quelling the anxiety of take-off. Driving straight to Breckenridge from DEN, up first chair the following day after a few drinks the night before is a perfect recipe for dehydration and altitude sickness. Sea Level to Breckenridge Ski Resort's summit elevation at 12,998 feet is exhilarating. Breathe it in vs. heaving it out.
On a recent cross-country trip from the "Ice Coast" to the Volcanic Vistas from Oregon pistes, I exited the first leg of my flights into the Minneapolis St Paul concourse. I was immediately accosted with "Cocktails to go" & tequila bars. I walked by briskly. I thought of Mister Rodger's "Always look for the helpers. I looked, and there I found the "Helpers." Just after the third bar was an "express spa" offering mini massage sessions. Further along, the hall filled with beautiful music, played by a woman at a grand piano. A coffee shop had a simulated wood fire to gather around. Little sanctuaries to pause and restore between flights.
Somewhere down the road, I developed an alcohol-induced fear of flying. I have traveled my whole life extensively and lived all over the globe, jumping on jumbo jets & mini tin cans without hesitation. A few very bumpy flights where even the crew was white-knuckled and increased media coverage of crashes and their aftermath nudged my fears. Alcohol was the real culprit, though. Ironically, I thought drinking would quell my anxiety for take-off and landing, thus meriting an airport bar drink and an inflight beverage (thank heavens there were none of these "cocktails to go business") when in fact, it was fueling it.
I was so happy to find such an oasis of peace in the terminal's jungle of bars and alcohol traps. I rounded another corner, feeling quite spry, and there before me lay the "motherlode," the treasure of treasures: Zoe, the therapy dog. All images & thoughts of alcohol anything vanished from my brain. Open your eyes, look past the drink; there's so much better around the corner.
Comments