My thoughts on Lent will have to take a little pause because I’m in the midst of travelling. While I can write and fly, or be flown to be precise, I cannot share my thoughts easily without the wonderful presence of the Internet. Till it is again, on a stable basis, then thoughts stay on hold. The wireless connection in my cousin’s house has been down all day but just came back on line. Such is life.
But, a little travel story sharing may go a good way. I was travelling to Jamaica, when friendliness broke out.
Passenger 1 to American Airlines crew: “When they take my bag, please tell them not to throw it like it’s garbage. It’s really disrespectful!”
Passenger 2 to AA crew: “I don’t have a lock on my case. Last time I had my bag taken from me at the gate, things were stolen. Not again…”
AA crew to passenger 3: “Say hello to the captain. He’s really nice.”
We arrived at immigration and found ourselves in a long conversation with the official. It was nothing but pure getting to know you in the best Caribbean sense. She first commented how we (three) all wore glasses like she did. Well, except she had contact lenses in. “I get my daughter to put them in for me,” she said, showing off her long French-polished nails. She then proceeded to explain how she had to call her daughter to put the lenses back in one day, after they had dropped out. “It can be a real challenge.” No kidding! We got a little tour of how life would be if we did not understand how life is on this little island. Our saying that we’d visited many times before, and the many entry and exit stamps in our passports, passed her by :-). She was on a mission of welcome. Some 15 minutes after we had first met, we knew enough about each other that we could have been related. Would that the ‘greeting’ was always so pleasant.
Now, more than 24 hours after we landed, I see my older daughter pull up in a car. Unexpected snow in DC had delayed her departure and missed connections in Miami meant that she had arrived 8 hours later than expected. Dinner is ready for her on the table and her mindlessness is totally expected and understood at this late hour. So, let me go tend to her need to regain her sanity, after she’d spent so many hours in airports and on planes :-).
Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac 