I was halfway to the airport on Sunday when I realized I hadn’t brought a pair of headphones.
No matter, I thought. I can pick up a cheap pair at the airport.
But the airport’s one shop was not open.
No matter, I told myself. I can pick up a pair on my layover.
But when I landed I was hungry, and the service was slow, so after paying my tab, I had to hustle to my gate.
Soon after, I arrived at my destination, and there was no need for headphones: I was now in the company of many people (and a dog!) that I adore.
Today the visit ended, and I was delivered to another airport. Still no headphones. But I’d gone five days without earbuds, and despite minor, occasional irritations, I’d picked up some interesting tidbits of conversation, and heard some old, forgotten songs I like, and tuned in to various bits of humanity that I would have missed had my ears been physically jammed with digital jams.
The first flight was quiet. My layover was lengthy, and I reveled in hearing accents and voices from all over as I wandered between gates and terminals. Then I boarded my flight for home, and set to do some writing.
Soon voices rose up behind me. Idle, empty, utterly banal conversation. Aimless, grating, self-satisfied ignorant nothing-speak. Hour after hour of cumbersome word-noise that served to suck the joy out of flying over mountainous islands. My eyeballs were stuck in a state of almost-constant rolling.
So dissolved my sense of satisfaction at having gone four full days--not even a week!--without headphones. My soft pride at having shifted out of an old habit was laid to waste by irritation at the pointless conversation happening eight inches behind me.
I managed to write a bit anyway, and fled the airplane fast as could be managed once we landed. I scurried to the ferry, and walked the 3.5 miles home, bag on my back, shoulders faintly complaining, and singing songs at a volume meant to entertain myself, and go unnoticed by passersby and drivers.
I’ve torn apart my apartment and can find neither pair of my headphones. I’ve ordered more. I’ve got music is blasting. And it’s time again to work on my book.
