I was at a small airport a few weeks ago and had Epsom salts in my carry-on. The bag was flagged and screened, but there was no issue, so I moved on.
A few weeks later I was at the same airport and forgot to take them out. So again, the salts were removed and screened. This time the computer flagged the TSA agent who said to me, “Stay here – we need to see what we are going to do with YOU.”
My first thought was, “What the heck, what are they going to do with ME? I need to get on a plane, they are bath salts.”
Due to extensive work on my brain I reminded myself I have zero control of others and that all I can do is control what I say, do and think. I clearly wasn’t going anywhere as TSA told me I could not. I shifted my thoughts (for real – from anger and stress) to, “Oh well I guess I’m just hanging here for however long it takes.” I relaxed in seconds. I know many others would not have been so calm. In the past, I wouldn’t have been calm either.
Immediately the supervisor was called; he mulled over the computer. Then he called a female TSA agent to give me an “extensive pat down”. They removed everything from my bag and screened the content item by item. I continued to wait patiently.
The female agent informed me she would be, “giving me an intensive pat down including patting my privates.” She showed me in the air what she would be doing. She asked if I wanted a private room for this or to stay in the main security area. I said I didn’t need a room.
Eventually they cleared me, after the supervisor called his boss at home to make sure it was okay to let me go with my eucalyptus epsom salts. He then thanked me for being “so chill” and suggested to not bring them in my carry-on bag in the future. Noted.
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