Emotional Airport Lounge Syndrome: Why I love it
There I sat again. Not that I wanted to be there. 01:17am on a Wednesday morning. Tears running down my cheeks. An intense feeling of love and emotional connection. Dubai Airport. Lufthansa Lounge.
Why would these feelings always come up in airport lounges? What made this such a special place where I felt so emotionally connected with my loved ones when separated from them? Admittedly, I am slighly more emotional today than I remember being in the past. However, it doesn’t explain what I call «Emotional Airport Lounge Syndrome».
People don’t care about who they sit next to. They all mind their own business. Now even more so than in the pre-smartphone days. Why would you talk to the person sitting next to you if you can chat with dozens of other people in faraway lands simultaneously? Only a freak would look around and try to make eye contact with unrelated and unknown people. After all, we all paid a premium for the privilege to be left alone drinking a glass of white wine and eating a bite of lukewarm chicken masala. Luckily, there is an exception. The stressed father chasing his two-year old doesn’t feel shy in public expressing his sense of responsibility for another human being. Hope for the future!
It could therefore be the lack of connection with your environment that makes you want to connect with your loved ones. The unspoken fear of never seeing them again might be another reason. Planes do crash for technical reasons or suicidal pilots may decide to play almighty God when diverting their plane towards a mountain or into the ocean. Ultimately, who cares why.
Emotions make life worth living. Feeling them clearly is a sign of being alive. I am truly grateful.
Let’s be frank. I hate spending time at airport lounges. Yet, I love the way this particular environment acts as one of my most reliable emotional triggers.
Less than 12 hours to go. Zurich Airport. Swiss Lounge. Looking forward to it!
