NFA Finance

I sat there thinking about it for a minute.

I’ve traveled through plenty of airports. I’ve stood in long security lines, dealt with delayed flights, walked what felt like five miles to reach a gate, paid too much for bad food, and waited around wondering whether my luggage was going to arrive with me.

But honestly?

They’ve all been good.

I’m still living.

That might sound like I’m avoiding the question, but maybe it’s the most honest answer I could give.

The best airport is the one that got me where I was going.

The worst airport? I’m still alive, so apparently none of them were that bad.

Every airport represents something bigger than terminals, TSA lines, and departure boards. It means you had somewhere to go. Maybe you were flying toward an opportunity, a vacation, a business deal, an adventure, or somebody you cared about.

Even when the experience wasn’t perfect, you were still moving.

That matters.

We have a habit of grading every experience. We rank everything. The best restaurant. The worst hotel. The nicest city. The most annoying airport. We spend so much time judging the little inconveniences that we sometimes miss what the experience actually gave us.

A delayed flight is aggravating—but it also means you had a ticket.

A crowded terminal is exhausting—but it means the world is still moving.

A long walk to the gate can be a pain in the ass—but your legs carried you there.

You got on the plane.

You landed.

You continued living your life.

That’s a win.

Maybe age and experience change the way you see these things. When you’re younger, every inconvenience feels like the entire story. Eventually, you realize the inconvenience was just one small scene.

The trip was the story.

The people you met were the story.

The opportunity waiting on the other side was the story.

The fact that you got another day to experience any of it was the story.

I’m not pretending that every travel experience is enjoyable. Some airports are confusing. Some flights are miserable. Sometimes everything that can go wrong seems to happen at once.

But if the plane landed safely and I walked out of the airport, how bad was it really?

I’m still here.

Still traveling.

Still building.

Still finding new places to go and new reasons to get there.

That perspective reaches far beyond airports. A lot of situations that once felt like disasters eventually become stories we laugh about. The aggravation disappears, but the experience stays with us.

Life doesn’t have to operate perfectly to be good.

The flight can be delayed and the trip can still be worth taking.

The road gate can change and you can still reach the destination.

Your luggage can get temporarily lost and you can still find your way.

Sometimes life changes your gate without asking you. Sometimes it delays the plan. Sometimes it sends you through a connection you never expected to make need.

That doesn’t mean the journey is ruined.

It just means you’re still traveling.

So, what’s the best airport I’ve ever been to?

Whichever one helped me reach the next chapter.

And the worst?

I can’t think of one worth complaining about today.

I made it through all of them.

Still traveling. Still living. Still grateful.

— Nicholas Francis
Modern Day Dealer | NFA Finance