S.P.P.

    There are passages where one land meets another, where one can walk through and be transformed into someone else. Anyone can cross the threshold of these magical portals and become filled with experiences and a new vigour for life. I personally have taken the stroll down one of these transformative walkways. I have walked them many times in fact, and I'm not sure if I have ever been in the same one.

    I'll describe them to you: They're plain, the everyday person who walks through them hardly even notices. You might have even walked through one, and I almost guarantee that unless you know about the magic that they possess, you have never thought anything of them. Most of the ones that I have been through have no windows and the walls are an industrial shade of white. Sometimes they will have handrails to help those who may need them. Sometimes they are covered in words and posters. Sometimes they are straight, sometimes they curve as you walk along them. I have even walked up one that was a ladder, and one that was a ramp. The form may be different, but the magic still lingers. S.P.P.'s are very obvious if you know to look for them. Even though I said they're plain, they stand out. They're hard to miss. They often echo with the sound of beeps and the clutter of feet, the most common sound, however, is a unique sound. The sound can best be described as a droning repeating sound. The kind of sound that can be heard when a suitcase crosses a rumble strip. 

    Some of you may have figured out what it is that I refer to, some maybe not. I call them S.P.P.'s or Square People Pipes. They are found in airports all around the world. Physically they are simply the connection between the terminal and the aircraft. If you have flown at all you have walked down one of these passages. Inherently un-magical. Why would I feed you all of this just to simply tell you what it is? The answer should be obvious, I want to open your eyes to the magic of the S.P.P. For me, there is a brilliance in the air around me as I scan my boarding pass and passport and set off on a new journey. The S.P.P. is where that happens. My last breath of fresh air in wherever I am before I land wherever I am going. I always find myself putting my brain into airplane mode along with my phone as I excitedly scurry down the passage. My mood lifts, my eyes brighten, and life is good. Before I know it, I am in another S.P.P. and in a new place. Sometimes on the other side of the globe from where I was. 

    The next time you go to board a flight to start off on a new adventure, be mindful of the Square People Pipe and remember where you are coming from, and where you are going. Please feel free to share your S.P.P. thoughts and stories in the comments. 

-TDB