Hot Josh and the Airport Moving Sidewalk
Airports are fascinating.
Thousands of people.
Hundreds of gates.
Millions of bad decisions.
I had plenty of time before my flight, so naturally I chose the moving sidewalk.
Not because I was in a hurry.
Because efficiency deserves to be appreciated.
I stepped onto it with perfect timing.
Hands in my pockets.
Confident stride.
The sidewalk and I were working together.
A beautiful partnership.
Then…
It ended.
Without warning.
I stepped off and looked back.
That couldn’t be right.
Surely there should’ve been more sidewalk.
I walked back to the beginning and rode it again.
Same result.
It stopped.
Again.
A nearby airport employee noticed me.
“Everything okay, sir?”
“I’m evaluating the infrastructure.”
She nodded politely.
“What seems to be the issue?”
“The experience ends too abruptly.”
She looked at the sidewalk.
“It ends where it’s supposed to.”
“But emotionally…”
“…I’m still moving.”
Silence.
The good kind.
The kind that tells you your point landed, even if nobody admits it.
“I think it should loop.”
“Loop?”
“Like an amusement park ride.”
She blinked.
“People could stay on as long as they wanted.”
“I’m not sure that’s the purpose.”
“That’s because you’re thinking like an employee.”
“I’m thinking like a visionary.”
A businessman walked by.
He stepped onto the sidewalk.
Rode it.
Stepped off.
Didn’t complain.
Amateur.
The employee asked,
“Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“Yes.”
I pointed toward the handrail.
“It should move slightly faster than the sidewalk.”
“So you feel like you’re winning.”
She stared at me.
“I’ve… never heard that suggestion.”
“That’s because innovation is lonely.”
She smiled.
“I’ll be sure to pass it along.”
I knew she wouldn’t.
But that’s what people say when they’re overwhelmed by genius.
As I walked toward my gate, I glanced back one last time.
People continued riding the sidewalk exactly once.
Accepting its limitations.
Never questioning its potential.
The lesson?
Most people see a moving sidewalk.
Hot Josh sees untapped opportunity.
And one day…
Someone will build the loop.
For me.
