In Flight Entertainment

We are onboard our flight from Seattle, WA to Anchorage, AK…

“Why the change?” you interject. “Since when do you focus on the present, rather than the past?”

Since today.

Because, today we boarded a plane, and the game changed substantially. As of today:

-Tim no longer has to drive (this is where I admit, sheepishly, that Tim did 98.27% of the driving) and is able to nap as we travel.

-We will travel a much longer distance in a much shorter time, and will be sitting much closer than our, up until now, typical 9-inches apart (scandalous indeed!). In fact, right now, my elbow is languishing over Tim’s, touching the middle of his chest as I type, and though he is sleeping and doesn’t appear to mind, I have to wonder, do we really need to be packed on planes like sardines? I am sure “packin’ ‘em in” was an effective strategy on Viking war ships where x-number to a bench meant more power behind the oar, but honey (that means you, Mr. Airline Executive, sir), lets be honest – we ain’t rowing no where.

And, if you were wondering, yes, we did measure that 9-inch distance. We had a lot of long drives.

-We will no longer marinate ourselves in episodes of Murder She Wrote, This American Life, and The Splendid Table (or maybe we will?).

-This journey of ours is out of our direct control. For the past 48 states, it was up to us to make the decision to soldier on. If the weather were too bad – we would be the ones to call it (though, it never got bad, so we continued on). If we were too tired – we would be the ones to call it (though, we never felt the tug of exhaustion, so we continued on). If we realized it was complete lunacy to zigzag from state to state across the US, seeing the scenery change at 70 mph, and never getting to spend as much time in any place as we wanted – we would be the ones to call it (though, we never saw this as lunacy, but instead viewed it as a grand adventure, so we continued on). But right now, right here, in fact, we lose control. We lose control to the whim of the airlines, the pilots, and to every present Mother Nature, all of whom work in unguarded camaraderie. It is now up to them to help us make our (self-imposed) deadline.

So we honor this free-fall into the unknown, uncontrolled circumstances with thanks – thanks to you, dear reader. And thanks to the many, many people who will never read these words of appreciation, but whom we want to honor nevertheless.

We are humbled by your love, your humor, your insight and your support.

But, instead of typing a laundry list of names, we would like to offer a simple dedication. Please, please know we are picturing and counting each of your faces as we type:

To everyone we stayed with

To everyone we volunteered with

To everyone we met along the way

You made this journey what is was, what it is, and worth all the while

Thank you