The airport IS a step....

There are several relationship milestones we can all focus in on but there are a few steps along the way that not every person is able to recognize. We all know the apprehension and trepidation surrounding “the talk” or “the DTR” as we called it in college (Define the Relationship). The inevitable but unavoidable passage for any dating relationship. The conversation that either catapults you into coupledom or puts the kibosh on your blissful courtship. We all have experienced the anxiety of meeting the parents or bringing your significant other home to meet your own. Then there are those three little words, “I love you,” which are either blurted out way too soon or are said in this unbelievably romantic moment that makes you melt every time it’s later recalled. Usually the former more so than the latter but we’ll leave it at that. Those 3 words may indicate the largest of many foundational steps. And while yes there are these milestones, these steps of which we are all aware and are careful about when and with whom we let them take place, there is also a smaller step that should be approached with similar caution.
In college, I remember my then boyfriend saying,”well...I mean I kinda liked you but wasn’t sure how you felt about me but then you called me from the airport….” The airport? Who knew this random phone call I made when I was just trying to waste a small portion of my “2 hours ahead” said so much?! Believe me when I tell you I no longer make half hearted phone calls when I sit at the gate. Apparently, you can not be flippant about such choices.
The airport is indeed this weird abyss of traveling folks, many having just left a loved one behind or traveling to the arms of someone they care about deeply. There are the emotional drop offs at the curb with never enough time to say goodbye the way you’d like. The embraces at baggage claim that say, “Wow, I’ve missed you A LOT and if I could throw you down right here..I would!” There are “Welcome Home” signs, bashful men with flowers, and girls dressed for the prom. So when someone you are involved with asks you if you need a ride to the airport it is indeed a question with meaningful undertones. Let me assure all of you, the airport IS a step. Do you hug? Do you hug and kiss? If you hug and don’t kiss are you saying, “Hey, thanks for the ride but it's really not like that”? If you don’t kiss will he forget about you while you’re gone? If you do kiss does that mean you can’t hook up with someone else during your vacation? And then there is the call to say you got there ok. Is that who you want this person to be, the person whom you let know that you have indeed arrived safely? That kinda makes them significant and perhaps you are not ready for that yet. Do you then have to call them sometime while you’re away just to check in? Is a postcard required? Whether you think so or not, it matters. The airport IS a step and one not to be taken so lightly. If you’re unsure, pay your $20 for the SuperShuttle. The driver is usually crazy, probably smells, and definitely won’t call you again.