This line was uttered in my AirPods as I stood idle on the airport escalator. Weighed down by my luggage, I surrendered to being motionless, as I descended down towards the terminal exit.

This line was unsettling to hear as I stood in such a passive state. Suddenly, I became aware that, sure, I was progressing… but I wasn’t taking any steps forward myself.

Then, a guy on my right - let’s call him “Jack” - briskly walked past me on the stairs. Jack only had a backpack on his person. His luggage was light. So the stairs became a viable option. Jack-be-nimble. Jack-be-quick. Jack-could-take-the-stairs-while-I-just-stared-like-an-idiot.

To my left, I looked to the elevators, where a dad - let’s call him “Joe” - pushed a luggage cart piled high with suitcases, as he corralled his 3 kids. The elevator appeared to be the only option for this family. “At least I’m not schelping the same burden as that dude,” I told myself defensively.

Back on my right, I saw another guy walking down the stairs - not Joe or Jack, but let’s call him “Jim.” He was pacing down the stairs, despite his carry on luggage. Strangely, he had the same setup as me: a carry on + a backpack. Yet, it appeared that he didn’t buy the story that the escalator was the only option for him. He just muscled up his carry-on and strolled down the stairs as well. He hadn’t bought the narrative that I was telling myself.

What did I learn from the J-named gentlemen that day?

• Jack’s minimalist display gave him max flexibility

• Joe’s life decisions strapped him with lots of baggage, but he also got to travel with his 3 kids

• Jim refused to accept that a lil extra baggage makes one limited

Most importantly, I noticed that we all end up in the same place. Whether, on the right or the left, whether taking the stairs or the escalator, we all went down, down, down and eventually exited.

Of course, we traveled different routes and walked different paces. We assumed different baggage and subscribed to different narratives. But nobody was “right” or “left” in the way they made their choices. So, my evaluation of their approaches was utterly useless.

To Seneca’s point, the only decision that mattered was that I actually make one.

So, my parting wish for each of my travel buddies was that they were enjoying their journey, rather than despising their existence.

An active choice

Inspired by “the guys on my right,” I’ve built the habit of taking the stairs in my apartment building.

What started as an active choice not to be passive, has become a daily habit that’s, now, mostly unconscious.

6 floors of bonus exercise each time I come or go. Hiking prep & sculpted quads without any need to hit the gym’s StairMaster Pro.

I also use the stairwell as a reminder to transition to what’s next with fulsome awareness. If leaving the apartment, I set my intention for what I’m about to do. If I’m coming home after a long day, I use the time to downshift my energy. Transition time is not wasted.

"Scant is the part of life in which we live.” With this in mind, I’m no longer trying to just pass the time… for anything. I don’t want to “just get through it”, no matter the "it" that I'm doing.

I’m going to play this game full-go. I want to live this life by maxing out the livin’ portion of my existence.