Just Hop on a Plane and Take Off!

I just saw a story on the news about a little 9 year old boy who, by himself, slipped past two security check points at the airport in Minneapolis, boarded a Delta airplane with no ticket and nobody realized that he was by himself until after the airplane took off.  He did all of this because he decided he wanted to go to Las Vegas.  Now, I totally get wanting to go on vacation so badly that you will do almost anything in order to accomplish that goal.  There can be no question that a vacation helps your mental state like nothing else can. I admire the kid for his initiative and single mindedness in accomplishing his goals.

I'm not really bothered by the airport security (or lack thereof) in this incident.  It's sort of nice to know that if you look young and innocent enough you might not get strip searched by the TSA. I think it would be nice if the person at the gate only let people on the aircraft if they actually had a ticket.  Perhaps this accounts for some of the over crowded flights that I have been on recently.  Am I the only one whose ticket they examine as though it contains the formula for curing cancer? Seriously, when you have to stow one of your children in the overhead compartment, I think it's a sign that they shouldn't have been able to get on the flight.

Somebody on the news was saying that to her, the troubling aspect of this was that our society is so self absorbed that no one would take notice of a small vulnerable child who was all alone.  Oh Wah!  The kid decided he wanted to go to Vegas, so he hopped on a plane and went with no regard for anything else. This kid is so far from vulnerable it's insane. I'm thinking he doesn't have helicopter parents.  NOBODY is hovering over him in case he needs something. This kid fixes his own cereal each morning. Meanwhile, I would imagine that the woman who was so concerned about him going unnoticed doesn't let her children go to the bathroom in their own home without constant adult supervision. I'm not condoning trying to sneak past airport security or anything. I'm just saying that if there were more kids who figured out what they wanted and then figured out a way to make it happen without sitting around and whining and waiting for someone to hand it to them, I wouldn't be so worried about the future of our country.

I know a few adults who could take a lesson from him. If you want to go on vacation, find a way to make it happen and go!  You can't spend your life waiting around until the time is perfect for your dream vacation. You just might wait too long.  Life it too short to worry about so many details. Now get out there and call your travel agent!

(Is it just me or is someone humming Glory Glory Hallelujah! in the background.....)