I think that no matter where I travel in life, Sky Harbor will be the airport with which I have the most positive associations.
As a kid, a trip to Sky Harbor International Airport either meant a vacation to some exotic locale (like Minnesota where you could actually wear pants in the summer) or a special visitor coming to town. Sure goodbyes were hard, but they didn't compare to the joy of an arrival or my own departure.
As an adult, Sky Harbor is my entry point to return home. It's more familiar than most of Phoenix since the big changes took place before I left. Though the end of the trip is usually bittersweet, Sky Harbor means returning to my own home and bed after a reminder of why I left Phoenix in the first place.
Going home reminds me of a time before I found where I fit. I was a nerd and so painfully insecure that I constantly tried to prove how interesting my life was. I was a humble bragger who lacked subtlety. When I encounter people like teenage me as an adult, I understand why I was picked on and excluded. I was annoying.
As my plane ascends and I grip the armrest for dear life, I leave all that pain and awkwardness behind. I am reminded of the formative experiences that shaped who I am today. And I am as grateful to go as I am to come. No other airport has that sort of association, and I doubt another ever will.
But, I still don't understand the 16 minute Jimmy Eat World song that I borrowed the title of for this post - or why it's 16 minutes.
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