Credit Where It's Due

The TSA gets a pretty bad rap, and I think a lot of the time it's completely deserved. But I thought I'd give credit where it is due and give a shout-out to the TSA folks at the SeaTac airport this morning. Every one of them was polite, helpful, and respectful. It was especially noticeable to me because I'm something of a difficult traveler - I never pack in a way that lets me take stuff out of my bags quickly and efficiently for security, so I always take a long time. I also ask if I can keep my shoes on to help protect my feet (remember that I have dance-induced arthritis in at least one toe, and sometimes cold tile or pressure changes can make that hurt badly for a while; if they tell me to take my shoes off, I do, but I always figure it never hurts to ask), which makes me an extra pain to deal with. Finally, there was something in my bag that looked suspicious (I suspect it was the birthday present Haleigh's parents asked me to bring to her - I don't know what it is, and it's all wrapped up), so they had to open it to test for dangerous things. 

Well, the fellow who had to deal with me taking a long time was perfectly polite and courteous; the lady I asked about my shoes was accommodating, and the lady who ran the extra test on my shoes was accommodating, polite, and respectful; and the guy who searched my bag didn't make a mess, ran a quick test without being invasive, and was respectful and polite to me the entire time. That's actually something else I should mention - all the agents I interacted with were friendly, professional, and polite. 

So, to the SeaTac TSA agents of this morning: thank you very much for helping to keep us safe and also being professional and courteous. I said it in person, but I'll say it again: I hope the rest of your weekend is interesting, but uneventful.

Now it's off to Milwaukee for Faith's wedding!!!