Whoever heard of getting searched at an airport for being righteous? That’s what I was attempting to do when I packed my scriptures for my trip to Puerto Rico. My traveling companion expected to be strip searched. He carries a card requesting such. It’s not weird, just a medical requirement due to his battery operated heart. I, on the other hand, confidently cruise through security, exercising what little patience I have while waiting on my Energizer Bunny traveling companion.
Not so today! Imagine my surprise when a very polite airport security lady asked, “Whose bag is this? I am going to have to search it. Please come with me.” It wasn’t a request. I began a mental checklist of all items, some of them quite personal, packed in my carry on. What liquid or gel might be hiding in that bag? I purposely packed all hair care products, toothpaste, and liquid makeup in the checked bag. In recent years I have modified my travel routine from, “Pack everything you might need in case you get stuck overnight or your baggage is lost,” to “Don’t carry on anything that might interfere with the ease and swiftness of the security check.” I’ve decided if I don’t have it I don’t need it or I can purchase it if necessary. I could think of nothing in my bag that would flag a search.
“Stand right here and don’t reach inside the bag.” A definite command.
Please don’t riffle through everything right here in public!
“Is there anything fragile in here?”
“Just my camera,” I answered. I hoped. What could I be hiding?
Very quickly she located the culprit. Reaching for my very small, very compact set of scriptures, she announced, “I bet this is it! Too dense to scan through. That’s some heavy reading!"
“My scriptures!” Now that was funny. The discovery did not stop her from running a magnet around the inside of the bag, in and around each zippered pocket, and rescanning the entire bag sans scriptures. It passed.
Phew! I am not a terrorist!
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