Prude Looks Like a Lady

Tonight I went to the airport to pick up a more-than-friend. I was shocked at the number of people waiting for the arrivals. I would say there was well over 100 people standing around waiting at the bottom of the escalator. Even for LA, that's a lot...especially since this terminal only services two airlines.

As an avid people watcher, I enjoy this part of it. Someone's loved one walks out those doors and the person goes crazy. Such a variety of reactions. Kids at the end of a business trip are my favorite. (Daddy!) But then sometimes the moms get just as excited to see their grown kids or new grandbabies. Perhaps tonight the influx was related to the impending wkend holiday, but whatever it was...love was in the air.

For whatever reason, I'm not a PDA person. Because I really don't like to see others do it, I don't participate in it. Hand holding, peckish kisses, hugs, etc...I'm cool with. Tonsil hockey and dry humping in public, not so much. Long story short, I saw a lot of people go at it tonight. Like "get a room" style make out sessions. In the case of one couple in particular, (they were garnering stares from other people too, it wasn't just me) her dress was so short and they were so into it, that they very well may have been having actual intercourse right there near baggage claim. They moved their hot action to the wall behind me, so thankfully I didn't have to watch it any longer.

I realize these are the extremes...but does it mean I more than like my guy less or missed him less because I was cool with a smile, peckish kiss, and a hug? Are we already in that comfortable place and past the exciting place? Am I missing out on that animal love that apparently can only be quenched in the throws of public passion? Do I care?

As I was contemplating all these things, I realized that my initial problem upon arriving at the airport was the crowded reception area. The idea of all those people watching me react like I watch them react. (I'll say it again, I'm a fan of indirect attention.) So clearly it's the publicness of the display of affection and not the display of affection itself that I have an issue with. For some reason, that realization comforted me.

Then I came home to find out about the horrible plane crash in upstate New York, and I thought about all of those people in that reception area that experienced something completely different tonight. I think I fly so much, and the people I know fly so much, that I take for granted our safe landings. I mean I know I take a lot of things for granted, but whenever you head to the airport to pick someone up (especially when it's LAX!) you're just trying to streamline the process. I went in tonight because I had the time, and wanted to make the gesture. More often than not we do curbside pickups without a second thought.

So if you think of it as embracing someone who returned to your arms solely by the grace of God, maybe getting a little more amorous is called for. I just think, for me, a tight, lengthy-ish hug conveys it better than a tonsil molestation.