Effortless Travel

May 20: Today is a travel day. A day vulnerable to mishaps has been gone well. It’s worth acknowledging, even expressing gratitude for.

I’m a seasoned traveler and did all my research in preparation for this trip. But still I found myself anxious as the day approached. There seems to be an increasing level of stress and frustration in what used to be the friendly skies and I worried about my dad’s ashes passing successfully through security.

The TSA Pre-Check makes the trip through security easier. No long lines and no discarding of belts, shoes and jackets. Your fellow passengers are usually knowledgeable of the rules and efficient at getting through the screening process. The TSA employees today were personable, respectable and gracious even after pulling me aside to investigate the ashes and put them through additional screening. I accept that this is what I must go through, put my faith in a positive outcome, and am not disappointed.

I hurt my back loading the clothes dryer yesterday and sitting here on this long flight to Boston has been difficult.  My Advil is packed away in my checked luggage and the longer I sit the stiffer I get.  But I can’t complain.  I’m flying First Class with points gifted by my husband. I can move and stretch and get up without disturbing my neighbor. And I had a yummy Portobello Frittata for breakfast courtesy of the airline.

It’s been a long time since I’ve flown in a window seat.  Today the airlines request you leave the shades down to keep the plane cool and the glare down for passengers viewing their computer and movie screens. But I don’t like flying in a dark tube. I don’t like not being able to distinguish between night and day.  And seeing the country from a bird’s eye view offers a unique perspective. You can’t really appreciate the diverse terrain traveled by many of our ancestors on horse and in covered wagon until you see the grand arial view, the big picture, the vastness of our country.

My seat mate gives me the okay to leave the shades up and I try to determine, is that what we Californian’s refer to as The River?  The red earth, Utah?  The snow capped mountains, Colorado?  The agricultural circles and squares, Oklahoma?  The thick cloud cover, the states that are getting drenched this week?  The coastline, the Gulf or one of the Great Lakes?  The multiple small bodies of water, the many lakes of Minnesota?  It helps to know the route.  I miss the days when pilots pointed out landmarks along the way.  But this game offers a nice distraction.

Turns out my hotel is directly behind the Car Rental Terminal and when I mention this to the gal at the Hertz desk she says, “well why don’t you come pick it up tomorrow?”  Beats paying a $45 valet fee at the hotel tonight.  But what I’m really grateful for is a Customer Service Representative who thinks beyond what’s written on the page, or in this case in the reservation.

Tonight’s room is not exciting, but it’s clean and comfortable and conveniently located to the airport and within walking distance of several yummy Italian restaurants featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners Drive-Ins and Dives.  It’s perfectly fine for such a short stay.  The purpose of tonight is just to gather.

The only thing that would make this day better is the on time arrival of my brother and his wife.  But sadly, their day has not gone so well. They are delayed 3 hours.  They will be tired, maybe even cranky.  I’ve been there, I know the drudgery of waiting in an airport 3 hours longer than you anticipate and getting in at ungodly hours.  Still, from my perspective, the perspective of the person here and waiting, it’s okay.  They will be here soon enough.  They will be here today.  For now, I am here, safe and sound with my dad, in his home state.  In a few days we’ll be in his hometown for a final farewell.