Today was a travel day for me. Travel days make you think. Especially when you fly.  Air Canada’s Slogan is “Defy Obstacles”…. Now that’s a heck of a thing to make people think about while flying… especially when you are 20,000 feet up.

But needless to say…

When you travel…. certain laws of nature take over… and there is no fighting them really.

Here are my top 3.

1. Things change.  And…. …even if you make like a boy scout and be prepared…  things change some more.

I think being prepared is almost always a good thing. You see, I am so OCD…. I have no choice but to feel this way about life. I prepare like crazy. Case in point: We fly out of Dayton pretty often. There used to be good places to get a morning meal there. NOW… it seems…. there are just no good breakfast spots at Dayton International Airport. The past four trips, I’ve eaten powdered eggs with ketchup on them from Sbarro (what the heck kind of name is Sbarro, for a restaurant anyway….) But back to it… YUK. So, finally today, I wised up and packed a turkey, ham, lettuce, tomato, mayo on white. YUM. Well, don’t you know it…… when I get to the airport this morning… all sorts of breakfast restaurants have sprouted up there. I was prepared…. no doubt. But things changed and then they changed again. When Henry David Thoreau said, “Things do not change; we change.” …. he was kinda’ wrong. Both change. All the time. Sorry Hank.

2. The obnoxious-osidious-monster-person WILL sit right next to you on the plane. Oh yes, they will. Even if there are 40 open seats. I always scope out the waiting area at the terminal, and try to size up my fellow passengers. I guess I shouldn’t do this. I think it brings bad kismet to me. Yes….. the karma-cloud all results from my sitting there imposing all sorts of stereotypes and labels on people I don’t even know. The example here…. there were three loud and offensive (albeit inebriated) individuals who clamored around me in the waiting area. (Singing Hank Wiliams Jr. songs… I think) Drunk AND singing at 7 in the morning. Great. And….. Where did they sit on the plane? You got it. Two directly in front of me and one right behind me. While my suppositions turned out to be correct this time around… I was still encased with a bunch of pickles. Crispy cucumbers.  Oh dilly, dilly.

3. Sir Isaac gave us the next one. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

This is one we all need to remember. Especially people who throw litter out car windows; pee on toilet seats; pitch cigarette butts wherever; cut ahead in long lines of traffic, and food lines; cheat on anything; sneeze on you; hog the arm rest; or act unkindly… just as some random examples. No recaps of the day needed here. I am sure you have the visual.

Yes, flying the friendly skies.  Up, up and away….  We love to fly and it shows.

I learned a lot today… in airports and airplanes. And I am glad for that. Another observation from Thoreau…  “It is only when we forget all our learning that we begin to know.”   Once again, I love Henry David… but I think he was smoking crack.  I believe we have to keep learning all the time… or we continue to bump into the same mistakes and obstructions.    Let’s not forget Air Canada…. defying those obstacles.

Now… here is a good one for me:

“Life is change.  Growth is optional.  Choose wisely.”  – W.S. Maugham