Planes, Trains and Automobiles
It was another long day of travel. I got up this morning at 6:30 (3:30 California time). My sister in law drove me to the airport in a pretty dense fog (the kind that’s outside, not the kind that my brain was in). I checked the monitor when I got to the airport and it showed that the flight was still scheduled to go out on time. I’ve had trouble getting out of this airport in trips past–it’s a small regional terminal where only one or two airlines send in daily commuter flights. If the weather even sounds like it might get ugly, they tend to cancel flights. After going through security and sitting at the gate for a while I eventually realized that something was up with the flight. When I walked over to the board, it now said, “Delayed” and the estimated take off was an hour later than the original. That began the cascade effect that often happens when a flight is delayed–I would miss my connecting flight to San Francisco, would get in two hours later, have to catch a later train, and not be in time to drive Jared to work. Oy!
I am grateful to have lived for six years with a veteran frequent flyer. I learned how to remain calm in situations just such as these and knew exactly what to do. After a quick phone call, I had myself quickly rebooked on the next flight headed to San Francisco. Once I realized I was going to miss the connecting flight, I relaxed and stopped worrying about it. There was no point in fretting. So, I relaxed and waited for the plane to come in. That first flight took all of 20 minutes (I didn’t even have time to turn on my approved electronic device), and instead of dashing through the airport to get to my next gate in another terminal, I had plenty of time to leisurely sashay down to get a cup of coffee and a banana before settling down to wait for the second flight. The four-plus hour flight wasn’t even that bad–I slept for some of it, watched an inane movie, and listened to my audio book.When I got to San Francisco airport I headed out to the BART (train) station just in time to step onto the waiting train, riding the rails for another hour before getting to my car. I drove the remaining 30 minutes home, finally arriving at 4:30 in the afternoon. Total travel time today was about 12 hours–not terrible, just long.
On travel days like this one, I sometimes think about emulating Pope John Paul II who used to kneel down and kiss the ground of whatever country he’d just landed in. I was grateful to be home after a really long few days away, but decided not to kiss the pavement in the parking lot at the condo. I am writing this at 11:20 p.m. (2:20 a.m. EST where I was this morning) I would do the math for how long I’ve been up, but am too tired to do the math.
Over the next few days I will evaluate all of my experiences, particularly those of yesterdays meetings and interactions. There’s a lot in there to think about, weigh, consult with others about during this time. Could be I’ll have a decision to make, could be I won’t. Either way, there’s a lot to consider. I am filled with gratitude for the people who’ve been sending their good energy, prayers, best wishes as I went through the past few days. At some point I hope to write about all that happened but am not in a position to do so at the moment. For now I will express simple gratitude for having arrived back home safely to find that house, son, and dog fared well in my absence. Tomorrow is food pantry day. I’ll be glad to get back into giving mode. Tonight I am simply looking forward to a good rest.
