By Norm Richards
Well, the day started out well. I got up and showered at 4:10AM. This, after laying my head down well after midnight. On the eve of my birthday I thanked a number of early greeters from around the world and as far off as India. It's a place I've never visited. This reminded me that my social networking has grown. I noticed another friend who connected with me in 2008. I hadn't heard from him again until this evening. Nice to hear from old friends. It seems like a lifetime in cyberspace. Nevertheless, he got in touch.
My Presley family friend responded to my gentle poke from earlier. She's a lovely lady who lives in California. She's a cousin to Elvis Presley and she makes me feel like I'm in touch with the great one himself. As the night rolls by and the constant log-on at Facebook must come to an end for another day, I say goodnight to all and sign-off. I'm pleased with myself. Packing has gone well. My trip east in the morning to visit my daughter and her family is now only near hours away.
By shower time I realize I've only slept three hours and here I am again. Feeling no pain and quite awake, I slumber through my shower chore.
Later, I'm sitting three miles from home in the cab at a stop light. It's dark, quiet and no one can be seen in all directions. It hits me. I left the Jeanne's cake behind. I'm one of many who travel with those famous Jeanne's cakes. It comes in log shape complete with cookie crust and you order it in as many servings as you need. They just make it longer. Of course I have Happy Birthday written on our cake. Even though we have birthdays spread throughout the year, we celebrate them together when I arrive with the cake. I think to myself, this is going to be an expensive cake while we double back to get it.
Check in comes easy. Flights on time. Food service is limited at this hour. Coffee and donuts anyone? Just past the security area I stop to pick up a recent Nick Hornby novel to amuse myself on-route. Arriving in the waiting lounge I notice many wear jackets or sweaters for protect against the morning chill. But, it's actually a calm morning and I'm ok in my cotton shirt. I figure if I need too, I'll ask for a blanket and pillow on the airplane. But who knows, I may need to pay for that.
It's mid flight when it strikes me I've spent the first half of the trip writing these morning pages. Julia Cameron would be proud if she knew. Julia's a modern writer's guru and creator of "The Artist's Way," a series of books to help artists and writers be better. I gave up doing her style of pages in exchange for doing a blog some time back. She's been a help for me. She got me through the development and progress of writing my first book. Now, I've found an improved routine for my writing with the blogging I do.
I remind myself, life is good. I didn't leave the cake behind or worse; out in the rain. I made the flight. I packed underwear, socks and shaver. It's the fourth day of my annual fall vacation and all is well. The sun begins to shine on me through the aircraft's port window giving me a warm safe feeling. I plug into my ipod and tune in some classic listening. It's Roxette turned up loud and reminds me of a previous visit where I shared this music with my daughter I'm about to see once again. I sense the day will be perfect.
