Some Time Away

I pushed my plate to the side, finished with the turkey sandwich and fries. I powered down my phone, tucked it away in my backpack, and sat quietly by the window, watching planes take off and land in the clear blue, etching scant plumes behind them as they circled over the Minneapolis skyline. I quickly warmed in the ample sunlight and sipped my ice water. I had three hours to spare before my own flight left, and for once, I was not in a hurry.

I walked by my gate to double check the departure to Reykjavik, surveying my fellow passengers – a rich blend of color, height, and language, reminding me, for some inexplicable reason, of a coffeehouse I once visited in Sao Paulo. But the dress was most impressive – skintight “pencil” jeans, graffiti-laden blouses, and hot pink high tops. I have never felt so boring. And then there were the flight attendants, tall, striking women in navy suits wearing tiny hats perched slightly right of center over neatly coiled buns. But my favorite was this early thirties-something man - I would venture to guess – who ended up sitting in the row behind me on the way to Iceland. Tall, blonde curls, and a blue running suit … but I loved his weathered, hard-sided travel case lined in plaid the most. I wanted to say hello, but I didn't.

I find myself alone tonight, but I am not lonely. I am simply beginning another adventure, one I have needed for a while. I have been yearning for some time and space to myself to think, to experience, to escape. I wonder if I will always need these solo sojourns throughout my life. A big part of me hopes I will. With residency applications and the like looming, it's unrealistic to think that I can entirely leave my life behind for six weeks, but I'll sure try ... and to help me in this process, I did something tonight that I have never done before ... I purchased my first book from an airport store, one easily visible in the front row of the NY Times Bestsellers rack. I have already cracked open Eat, Pray, and Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, a book that had been recommended to me recently by two very different people in my life, and thus far, the musings of a woman trying to re-discover herself and examine her life across Italy, India, and Indonesia has not disappointed. I wouldn't say that I am her by any means, but it has been fun to draw several parallels between her experiences and mine and between our world views. I am sure I will have more to say in a few posts down the road ... but for now, I am going to settle in, enjoy the flight, and dream of Europe.