Article August 20, 2001 Issue

An airport story with a happy ending

I have learned that my quality of life and my entire well-being are affected directly by how I think about things.

By Catharine Brant

Logan Airport was bustling with cabs, buses, cars, and people. Vehicles were parked three deep to the curb. My son had driven me there for my return flight home, and I could see that he wouldn't be able to park. I told him to let me off anywhere.

Unable to spot the curbside check-in, I went into the terminal. The line at US Airways snaked around for what looked like miles. So I looked again for the curbside check-in. An agent took my ticket but then gave it back, saying that the computer had randomly selected me for a study the Federal Aviation Administration was conducting on luggage handling. This meant that I had to check in my luggage at the main ticket counter.

Back inside, the snaking line had grown. I wondered if I would miss my plane. A swarm of ugly thoughts swept over me: "This is not fair! Why should I be subjected to this dumb requirement? I didn't ask for this!"

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