Going to the airport on Wednesday was slightly terrifying for me and definitely a hard moment for my parents. I wish I could say I was more excited than I was....but actually going by myself was turning into a bigger feat than I had anticipated.
Then I walked into terminal 5 at O'hare.
I forget how in love with this terminal I am. I was reminded the instant I walked in and was hit in the face with smells and accents and boards with names of foreign cities on them. You see love: elder visitors hugging their resident American children after long visits, fathers hugging daughters as they leave on what I could only imagine to be a study abroad at this time of year (and their age). People are wheeling around stacks of suitcases as they make moves across the world, hardly anyone is speaking English with the familiar Chicago accent. My face lit up as I realized what I was doing again. To me, and so many of my fellow travellers that day, Terminal 5 is full of adventure and opportunity and new experiences.
After quickly clearing security and with plenty of time to spare, I obviously parked myself for a margarita and some goodbye phone calls....but I also made time for my routine wander up and down the terminal seeing where everyone was heading to. London, Dublin, Zurich, Doha, Reyjkavik (imagine that!)
As I settled into my seat on flight 852 to Rek, I was hit by overwhelming love. For terminal 5, travel, my amazingly supportive family and friends, my empty seat next to me, my pre flight margarita(s)...my life.
Can't wait to see what the next 106 days have in store!
