You work and you work to accomplish the things you want, right? Twiddle this, jiggle that, make sure those things happen in the right order; it’s just life, y’know?

Experience, though, has taught me that, generally speaking, there’s at least one thing more you’re probably gonna need: patience!

All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go

Our return from Brazil was an exercise in mechanics. We packed up our suitcases, checked out of our hotel, ate a great breakfast, and loaded up the bus. It was time once again to head to the airport and board that big silver bird.

We were nearly the first to arrive at the terminal that morning, and so we very nearly had the entire ticketing area to ourselves. Checking in was the usual semi-controlled chaos; in spite of that it went relatively smoothly. Eventually we finally made it past ticketing and baggage check and headed for the boarding area and gate number 5.

As I approached, though, there was just one little problem. I looked out the window and – there was no plane!

My brain did a quick mental reboot as I considered the various and sundry ramifications of the situation. I mean, we’d done everything we were supposed to do, right? Tickets, luggage, boarding passes – check, check, check. It’s just that, without a plane it was all just an exercise, y’know? Sorta like a fire drill.

It’s All in the Timing

‘Course, once the initial surprise passed, I realized it wasn’t really a problem. We were just a little early, that’s all, and the plane simply hadn’t arrived yet. Still… until I saw our winged chariot waiting there for us, there was always that little niggling concern scratching away at the ol’ subconscious. What if it’s not coming? What if it’s late? What if – well, the list of worries could go on and on, couldn’t it?

The issue, you see, was in the timing. We’d done everything we were supposed to do. But now – ah, now it was out of our hands. The only thing we needed now was a little patience.

Not a bad lesson for life, wouldn’t you say? Sometimes we get so involved in getting things done we forget that not everything is under our direct control, y’know? You might as well face it: there’s times you simply have to wait for that thing you expect to happen… to happen.

The lesson, of course, is simple – have a little patience, friends! Do what you gotta do – but don’t forget to bring along that big ol’ bucket o’ patience. Chances are, you’re gonna need it.

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“You need to get rid of that baggage,” meaning let go of the past, or it’s time to pick yourself up and move on.

I know, I know; the term baggage is almost always used in a emotionally negative way, isn’t it? I’ve heard it often enough; maybe even said the words myself once or twice.

But is baggage always bad?

The Baggage Handler

It’s an off-the-wall thought, I know, but one that hit me (sound of dull thud) while sitting on the tarmac in Rio de Janeiro. (Well actually, I was sitting in a plane on the tarmac, not actually on the tarmac. Oh, never mind.)

I idly passed the time watching a baggage handler toss our luggage one piece at a time onto that conveyor-thingie, its slowly moving belt feeding them into the plane’s storage compartment below us like offerings to a hungry beast. How many pieces did that guy toss in an average day? Hundreds? Thousands? Sheesh, my back started achin’ just thinkin’ about it; especially if they all weighed as much as mine did!

Anyhoo – like I said, getting rid of emotional baggage is generally considered to be a good thing, right? I mean, if you spend your days moping about “what might have been”, well, you can build up a heavy load for yourself in no time at all. And pretty soon your back is achin’ with the effort of carryin’ all that stuff around with you wherever you go.

That’s why the idea of a Fresh Start is so appealing. If you can just unload all those old regrets and “what if’s”, well life gets so much easier.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

On the other hand… is all baggage necessarily bad? Maybe not. In fact, definitely not. The fact is, you can always turn at least some of that emotional baggage into something valuable by learning something from it. Yep; don’t just throw it out like garbage – take the time to identify what happened, why it happened, and how you can profit from it. Maybe – just maybe – there’s some value in what you’ve been through. That’s the sort of baggage you’re gonna need for later.

After all, I can’t imagine taking even a short trip without an overnight bag containing at least a few necessary things, such as a toothbrush, shampoo, or maybe an extra pair of those unmentionable things we won’t mention. (Besides, these days they look at you suspiciously if you’re not carrying something. Signs of the times, I’m afraid.) Experience has taught me what to leave behind and what to bring every time. And all that stuff becomes part of my baggage – necessary baggage I can’t function without.

So next time you contemplate getting rid of some emotional baggage (and who doesn’t have at least one or two pieces?), make sure you don’t throw the baby out with the bath, if you get my meanin’. Go ahead and get rid of the stuff that needs to go, but take the time to analyze it first, so you can hang on for dear life to the stuff you’re gonna need.

And have a great trip!

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GEORGE: You know what the three most exciting sounds in the world are?

UNCLE BILLY: Uh-huh. Breakfast is served; lunch is served; dinner . . .

GEORGE: No, no, no, no! Anchor chains, plane motors, and train whistles.

- From It’s a Wonderful Life

I’ll tell ya; I gotta agree with ol’ George Bailey; there really are certain sounds that tweak my imagination and, yes, even my excitement, y’know?

It’s like last November on the return from my trip to Brazil. As the plane lined itself up on runway zero-six to launch us into the wild blue yonder (which I believe is the third blue yonder on the left), I couldn’t help but experience a remarkable dichotomy of feelings.

On the one hand, it was a kinda sad moment because it marked the close of a truly amazing experience – going to a small town in Brazil to help build a church. What’s more, not only was it something I’d never done before, but it was one of the most gratifying events of my life. And so I was understandably kinda sad as it was ending, if you follow me.

But on the other hand, it was good to be heading home. After 10 days away, it would be wonderful to be back in the sweet and tender arms of my lifelong love, the incredible Mrs. MZM. I’ll tell ya, because of my work, over the years we’ve had some times apart – some of ‘em long and some of ‘em short. But no matter how strange, or fun, or interesting the place turned out to be, it was always great to get back to the ol’ homestead and start life over again. It’s almost like a new beginning, in a way.

Funny how that runway could signify both things equally: a beginning and an ending. And come to think of it, it’s almost the same every time New Year’s Day rolls around, isn’t it? There you are at the moment, the cusp, the hinge between the old year and the new, sayin’ “so long” to all things past while simultaneously sayin’ “howdy” to the things to come.

Yep; a new beginning, a timely ending. That’s about the size of it, all right. Not that things from the past don’t carry over, mind you. It’s that sense of starting fresh, and new, and – well, it’s something we all like to celebrate, isn’t it? And rightly so, if you ask me.

So take a moment with me to wave your hat at the things accomplished and the things left behind, won’t you? After all, you can’t do anything about the past, now, can ya?

OK, now turn and put your best face forward, Bubba, ’cause I’m tellin’ ya; judgin’ from the way the last year went, I think we’re in for one heckuva ride!

YEEHAW!

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Welcome to a brand spanking new feature here at the Zone! It’s called (as you may have already surmised by now) Airport Observations. Hey, say what you like about the hassles of traveling (go ahead – say it!), but one of the things I enjoy most is the chance to observe large numbers of people all crammed into a small area. It does provide me a great deal of entertainment, lemme tell ya!

Now, since I travel irregularly (and by that I mean there’s no set schedule, not that I, um, get irregular when I travel, don’cha know), you can expect this feature to pop up pretty much any ol’ time. After all, there’s just so much good stuff goin’ on out there; I just gotta try and capture it…

Maybe Two Heads Are Better…

Houston - Perhaps it’s simply because I don’t get out much, but this one’s a first for me: a guy wearing a baseball cap on top of a cowboy hat. Ya know, I’m not sure, but doesn’t that violate all sorts of local laws or something? Hey, Buddy, maybe you can get away with that sort of thing in New Jersey, or maybe even Wisconsin (I mean, after all, they wear cheese on their heads) – but this here is Texas!

As if that wasn’t unusual enough, I saw the same guy at least five different times after that, but each time he had a different hat on! So let’s see… first it was both hats, then just the baseball cap, then the cowboy hat, then both again (but this time the cowboy hat was on top), then… I mean, c’mon – how ’bout makin’ a decision here!

Please Excuse the Delay

Houston - Again, although I fly several times a year, it’s still not really that much. As a result, I can say with some measure of trepidation that I have rarely experienced a serious delay. Once or twice, maybe, for weather in over thirty years isn’t a bad record if you ask me.

But as our boarding time got closer, then closer, then passed us and vanished into the distance (kinda reminds me of the old saying about deadlines: they make such a neat whooshing sound when they pass by), we finally heard the rather disturbing announcement: Ladies and gentlemen, please excuse the delay. Our flight has been held up while the maintenance crew evaluates a cracked windshield. Please bear with us as we determine whether or not to use a different airplane.

To which I, along with most of the other passengers, looked at each other and said words to the effect: “Uh, do we get a vote?”

Gone to the Dogs

Chicago - When I fly (in airplanes, that is), the dry air always makes me extremely thirsty, so usually the first thing I do when arriving at my destination (I mean, after the, um, other first thing) is find a place to buy a soft drink. At O’Hare, there’s a McDonalds that is ideally situated for that, except for the fact that there are usually about a million people waiting in line there. So this time I ended up at some hot dog joint.

There was a woman just picking up her order from the merchant as I walked up; her hot dog was literally mounded up with the most ridiculous pile of pickles, onions, sauerkraut, relish, and no doubt any number of other ingredients.

She must have missed the expression on my face, because she looked at me and said, “Now doesn’t this look just scrumptious?”

I looked at her and replied in my best Texas drawl, “Ma’am, I’m from Texas – to me, there’s only two things that belong on a hot dog – chili and cheese!”

We all had a good laugh over that one.

What About You?

Seen anything unusual, weird, whacko, or just plain unusual at an airport recently? Or even not so recently? Why not share it with the rest of us and give us all a chance to laugh?

If you’ll email your story to me at rhruzek@sbcglobal.net, I’ll post it here and give you a link! Send a photo too, if ya got it! Now there’s a deal for you!