I love travelators. And I miss them a lot.
For a long time, I never saw them named, and it was a rare occasion that I got to step onto one. I referred to them as “moving sidewalks” or “people movers”. But, at the airport in Singapore, I finally noticed a sign that named this wonderful thing. And I immediately Loved the name too!! I not only rode the travelator every chance I got, but I also said it aloud as often as possible!
I know I had been on them a handful of times in my life; as far as I can recall they were most likely at Disneyland or some other place requiring just a bit of extra novelty. But I got to ride travelators very frequently at Changi Airport, and in most International airports all over Asia, where I had the privilege of living and traveling over the four years I lived there. My first specific memory of them, and actually loving how they felt under my feet, was at the International Terminal at SFO, at age forty-five, on my way back home from Stockholm, Sweden. And the travelators at SFO are the Best!! They have soft squishy padding that literally feel like you’re walking on marshmallows, while strolling along. Yes. Strolling along. You see, I like to walk on travelators. And I know that doesn’t make me special, because lots of people walk while being moved along. Some people do just stand still, taking a break while the moving floor propels them effortlessly; while other use it as an opportunity to gain speed, and get to their gate or to the luggage carousels even more quickly.
But I got to thinking today about why it is that I love these automatic walkways, and it occurred that it is very much the same reason I like just a little bit of a push – some help, motivation and direction when it comes to most things in my life. The travelator represents for me – the manager, the teacher, the mentor or coach who gives me some instruction and maybe even starts me on my way, to the proverbial finish line. Silly, I know-but it’s true. I have absolutely no desire to stand on the travelator, and let it do all the “work”. Nor, do I aggressively use it as a means to move as fast as possible and to gain position ahead of the slower walkers. But, I do Love to step onto the conveyor belt and then once rolling along for even a second, begin a pace that is fully energized and enthusiastic – far more than it had been on the still ground. Once I step off of the travelator, I notice my step has more bounce, more focus, and more speed. My head is held higher-in fact my overall posture is improved, and my general attitude about walking is markedly improved. Why is this?
I have always been someone who is a self described “perfect assistant manager”. I am not self-motivated, nor self-driven even when I do find some rare motivation. But all I need is the tiniest bit of direction, and BOOM! I become the “can-do” kid. Would I ever wake up early to do some emails or inventory? Hell, NO. But ask me to cover a 5am opening shift or stay late to help with reorganizing. Absolutely! Will I go walking for an hour a day for my own good? Maybe, with great difficulty. But if someone in a health crisis said they needed me to walk with them for support, I would gladly “sacrifice” my time. Even writing – which really isn’t much of a chore, feels like the most difficult task in the world, until…a professor gives me a writing assignment. The minute I hear the topic, and requirements, my head fills with dozens of creative ideas. I guess at my core, I am a people-pleaser…but I’d like to think it’s more layered than that – or at least sexier. Maybe not. And, I suppose I have to be okay with that. Life is about knowing yourself and working with what you have, finding ways to achieve what you want while staying true. No matter how hard we try to be someone else, the only way anything ever has worked is when we stop doing that. We’ll end up expending tons more energy to make very little progress, and as soon as we let up even for a moment, settling back into our real self – all of our effort is lost and we get carried backward. It’s like going against the grain. Swimming upstream. Or, walking in the opposite direction on a travelator. Don’t do it. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Know what gets you going, and what keeps you stuck. Where you thrive, and where you can never – and will never be yourself.
Not everyone uses the travelators. For some, they don’t need them. Others don’t like them. And maybe others still, are just trying to get extra steps in on their fitbits! But, I remember always seeing a few fast walkers, making a beeline for the immigration counter, check-in gates or whatever- and I watched them scoff at the people making a soft left or right to enter the moving sidewalk. Often, they’d increase their speed to make a visible point of the fact that those of us on the travelator, did not, in fact – save any time, by taking the easier way. These are the same people who take the stairs, while staring judgmentally, pridefully or even sometimes just impatiently (if it’s very crowded) at those folks on the escalator. I don’t pretend to know where they’re coming from, or what they’re thinking. It’s none of my business. And not my job to understand anyone but myself.
And for my part, I can’t wait to get back on a travelator. Besides being fun to ride and fun to say – in some small, silly and beautiful way, it reminds me of who I am.
Bikini Soul 