If you thought this post was going to be about winning a medal at the games, your thinking is a bit off! This content has absolutely nothing to do with a failed Olympic dream of mine from my super athletic teenage years. (However, if shopping were ever added to the coveted Olympic roster, I’m quite certain I could qualify to be on the cover of a Wheaties box. My Mom, too. Now that would be some serious competition!) In this particular case, the Gold I’m talking about makes much more of a difference to me. I’m of course talking about achieving the coveted Gold Medallion Status on Delta Airlines. (For all of you Diamond Medallion folks who are laughing at me right now, so be it! Alas, I am but a newbie to the road warrior gig. And the million miles club might as well coincide with the day I publish one million words– not in my lifetime I’m guessing.)
At present I am only a few thousand miles away from clearing the last hurdle to Gold. And since I have another West Coast trip already scheduled, I can already see the gleaming glow of my future and damn, it looks shiny. The perks that go along with Gold are nice. A free checked bag. Early boarding. Free earbuds. Better beverages. A bigger lavatory. Complimentary upgrades if available. Sounds pretty schmancy, right? But the issue is that so many travelers have a gazillion more miles than me, that when upgrades become available, I’m very far down the totem pole to receive that magical tap on the shoulder. My situation is sort of like being the worst of the best!
I felt that way in college, too. I was the least smart of the really smart kids at an altogether smart school. Does that make sense? I’m in the club, but I’m not that popular compared to the cool kids. And in the case of status, Diamond rules and Gold is just happy to be getting a medal of any kind.
Don’t worry. None of this status is tied to my self-esteem of course! But I have to admit that if I ever make it to Diamond Medallion, I just might be flashing that bling around the airport, especially at the Sky Lounge and walking with a bit of a swagger.
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