I’m spending an increasing amount of time in airports now that my boss moved me to a travel position. I can’t blame him because I’ve been asking for a position like this for years. It’s one of those situations that confirms the old phrase, “be careful what you wish for.” You don’t always know how you’ll feel about a big change in your life until the change takes place and it’s irreversible. Before being moved to this job, the last example of this happening in my life was when I went to college after graduating high school. I wanted nothing more than to attend school at this premiere undergrad state school where I had been accepted, but I had rose-colored glasses on about what eventual college experience. While I was convinced it would be the most idyllic period of time in my life, college turned out to be a lot harder than I was prepared for when I first finished high school. It wasn’t just the difficulty of my classes, but also getting used to the claustrophobic social atmosphere. I wondered for months if it was the right decision to make at the time, but at least now I feel resolute about it after I eventually graduated from that school four years later. I remember these days when I’m sitting in my seat in the airport terminal staring outside onto the tarmac. My gaze was fixed on the runways one afternoon and I started to wonder how they’re built altogether. Upon looking online, I learned that the concrete in airport runways is reinforced with steel rebar tie wire. That way it can handle the force, pressure, and tensile strength of airplanes taking off and landing on them all day long, every day.