Life does not get less busy. It just slowly passes by as you wait.
So I used the money from the sale of the house, took the outline I’d been nursing for years, and started the trip I had always imagined in secret.
There is a book in progress on my laptop. I have a passport with fresh stamps and a carry-on full of notebooks.
This time I am flying somewhere I had wanted to see since college.
I sat in an aisle seat in a soft blue sweater, no red dress, no surprise, and no secret hope attached to anyone else’s name.
The woman in the window seat beside me was reading a guidebook and circling cafés with a pen.
Across the aisle, an old man snored before takeoff.
Somewhere near the back, a child laughed at nothing.
Ordinary and peaceful sounds.
The captain made the usual announcement.
