Motivation, humor, and honesty from a man actively dodging a midlife crisis so you can too.
I almost got in a fight at an international airport.
Before I go any further, a few things you should know about me.
I consider myself a professional at avoiding unnecessary drama.
Back in high school and college, I’d always be long gone from a party before police were called to break it up.
When I’m driving and I see a car filled with dents like it’s been playing bumper cars, I stay far away.
If I’m walking down the street and a block down I see a crazy dude not wearing a shirt yelling “They’re coming for me” I cross the street.
I ain’t got no time for nonsense.
Except at that international airport the other day.
After a 10 hour flight, I was waiting in a ridiculously long passport control line that felt like one of those at an amusement park.
About an hour and a half into what would prove to be a 3 hour wait, I noticed a guy a few rows behind me passing people in line.
As he walked by them he would casually say “Excuse me” and they would let him pass.
To be fair, on a normal day I probably would've let him pass. Keep my peace of mind.
But unfortunately what this guy didn’t know as he approached me was that on this day I had time for nonsense.
He tried his “Excuse me.”
I caught him off guard with my “Nah man. Not today.”
“Excuse me, I must get by,” he said.
“Not today,” I said. “I’ve been waiting over 90 minutes. So have all these other people,” as I pointed around.
At this point I noticed none of my fellow travelers were making eye contact with me.
I guess they found the ground or their phone more interesting than what was escalating between me and this dude.
I immediately judged them.
Still, I remained calm. But firm.
We went back and forth and briefly started dancing left to right as he tried to pass me by.
I looked him dead in the eye and said, “You’re not getting by man. If it’s an emergency, you’re going about it the wrong way. Talk to security.”
I pointed to an officer I saw where the line bent for the hundredth time.
We stared at each other (my non blink game was on point).
He exhaled.
Then something changed in his eyes.
I thought, “This dude is about to swing on me.”
Slowly I shifted my footing in preparation.
Felt the adrenaline rush I'd forgotten about.
(Note to self: need to feel this more often. Maybe not with fistfights at the airport.)
Funny enough, I didn't think about all that could go wrong.
Like being taken into custody.
Or explaining to my family why I got in a fight at passport control.
Instead, I thought about a good buddy of mine who would love the story.
Things didn’t get out of hand.
He flinched. Blinked. And backed down.
When we reached the officer, I explained the situation.
The man stated his case for why he needed to pass everyone.
The officer listened. Then walked him to the end of the line.
Issue resolved.
A few people in line thanked me.
I almost asked them why they didn't back me up. But I didn't.
We all play different roles depending on the day.
Today was my day to say, “Not today.”
Was it worth it?
Should I have just let him pass?
Maybe. Maybe not.
What I do know is that you can't stand for everything.
But sometimes you have to stand for something.
On this day, in that passport control line very far from home, I stood for something.
I'll take it. Count it as a win.
And the next 90 minutes in line? Not as bad as the first 90.
Antonio
PS: This went in my planner. One of my wins for the day.
PPS: Felt this? Buy me a coffee.
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