Departure

Saturday morning arrived just an instant after the weight of a long Friday forced close my eyes and escorted my consciousness into a quiet, dreamless sleep.

A farewell family breakfast with mom and dad at a quaint little restaurant in Granby Connecticut filled my stomach as well as my bladder as I once again, driven by the irresistible force of habit, consume far more coffee than is advise able at the start of a day for any human being leading a ‘normal’ life, let alone one who is about to embark on a 26 hour flight to the far side of the world.

“Don’t worry…” I say to myself, in a meager attempt to calm my caffine charged, super overdriven nerves, that like to hide their apprehension under the veil of the Constant Bouncing Right Leg Exercise Program, (or C.B.R.L.E.P. for short), a calorie burning, fat eliminating, weight maintenance, workout technique that I am proud to say, is of my very own design. “…there are bathrooms on planes now.”

Upon hearing this gem of self-administered reassurance, a calm sweeps over most of my body. The exceptions being of course, the muscles and tendons of one right leg, deflected effortlessly by its Impenetrable State of Constant Motion, (or I.S.C.M. for short). I settle down at a cozy table in the corner of a café and pull out my choice of literary entertainment. A book, that when judged by it’s cover, is presumably a “how to” on smoking sharp beaker birds, that come equipped with their own ignition device, written by none other than one, T. Robbins.

There I sit, the rest of the while, sipping a cup of Green Mountain deliciousness, awaiting the magical phrase, “Group 4, now boarding…”