Most people that I speak with are not fond of airports. In fact, they despise them. They despise the security lines, customs, crowds of people, and this sense of go, go, go. For me, its’ quite the opposite—I love airports. In the past year and a half, I’ve probably gotten on about 30 different airplanes. Although there are many things to like and equally dislike about airports, I think there are two distinctly incredible qualities of airports. Here are the two simple things that you should love about the airport:

1. The fact that this one establishment can take you all over the world.

Isn’t that incredible in and of itself? You can walk into an airport and essentially go anywhere in the world. This one building can connect you to nearly every country on the planet. It can bring you to the people you love and the places that you call home.

I love to look at the departure and arrival screens and see where people are going to and coming from.

Whenever I get on a flight, I like to talk to the people next to me and ask them about their travels. I love to know about people's destinations and their plans. It's unique to know that some people are going to visit their family in Madrid after being apart for twenty years, while some are heading home after spending two weeks in Puerto Rico for a family member's 90th birthday. This one place brings people from all walks of life together, onto a magnificently large aircraft and takes them through clouds and over oceans to their ultimate destination.

2. It's a cultural melting pot.

I alluded to this previously but have you ever stopped and listened in an airport? Probably not--everything is just so rushed, we don't even think to slow down. I challenge you to stop for a minute or so the next time that you're in an airport. Stop and listen. Do you hear that? You are probably hearing things that you don't understand--it's another language...probably several languages that you can't understand. I love hearing that. Airports serve as cultural and linguist centers, showcasing the vast complexity of the world's uniqueness.

Although there aren't hundreds of reasons to love airports while there are certainly many reasons to dislike them, we must keep in mind the uniqueness of them and what they can distinctly offer us.