I feel like I should preface whatever comes out of my fingers next by saying that sometime during the night, my brain tripped into a custard quagmire and is now up to its eyeballs in thick, eggy blandness. I have nothing interesting to say although you might think I would considering I’m hopping on a Florida-bound plane Sunday morning and have less than a week to arrange for my family’s survival in my absence and to talk myself out of any dramatic airport scenes. There’s a slight possibility that I’m not looking forward to the trip. (Maybe that explains why I spent all morning avoiding my damn to-do list? And now I’m swearing. F—crap.)
Here’s the thing: While this trip really isn’t a big deal—just a skip over the pond to renew some documents and eat fried okra as much as possible—my imagination has taken it upon itself to prepare me for any eventuality. The following is a sample of likely trip outcomes, courtesy of my flair for the dramatic:
- Blizzard-hurricaness bury the plane during my layover on the East Coast, pulling down frigid air from the melting polar ice caps that freezes everything on contact and ushers us into the second ice age just like Dennis Quaid predicted; I miss my flight.
- I arrive safely, but the U.S. customs official revokes my citizenship because I chose to live elsewhere, and I am forced to spend the rest of my life wandering the airport countryless à la Tom Hanks.
- I forget to leave detailed instructions for our washing machine (which no longer has indicative markings because the factory painted them on with a special air-soluble glaze), and my family runs out of clean clothes and slowly dies of scabies while I search in vain for free wi-fi.
- Everything goes smoothly and I’m allowed to return home, but my ears explode on the flight due to pressure changes and the fact that they are world-class wimps, and the resulting spatter of gore gunks up the landing gear resulting in a spectacular crash; my corpse is recovered and donated to science who rejects it on the grounds of earlessness.
I guess what it all boils down to is that I don’t want to leave my husband and girls, even for a week. The thrill of adventure is notably absent this time; travel-related calamities are no fun without my little family to share them with. True, I’ll get to read entire books uninterrupted on the plane, and I might even get to eat my Sky Chef boeuf bourguignon while it’s still hot, but… I’ll miss them. A lot. The end.
Custard, take me away…
This is the way I feel EVERY time I travel. Even with my family. I hate the whole getting ready to leave: Clothes for everyone, food for everyone, predicting every single thing that may (*will*) go wrong in my absence, what will they DO WITHOUT ME? In reality, I know they are probably thinking, “Vacation from the crazy mother! Hooray!” So, I have no advice for you. Only this: You have no choice. So, gather your books! Get a massage while you are here! Buy a brand new notebook to fill up! Pretend you are someone else and maybe, you will get through it and enjoy a few spare minutes here and there. I wish you were coming to Minnesota. I would totally help you get through it!
You are so funny! Eggy blandness, indeed. You’re sharp as a TACK! (also, fried OKRA? Seriously? that’s the best you can do??)
Um, ha; also, ha some more.
You’re funny. Also, you have a Kindle, which some of us which we hadn’t traded in for a “day off” on their last birthday, when their husband’s intention was to buy them one. So use your Kindle. And some earplugs. Also, read “Room” by Emma Donoghue. It’s fascinating and will make the time past more quickly. 🙂
ookay, so “air soluble glaze”?? i kinda love that.
you’re pretty funny, dear!!
yeah, i’d miss them too if i were you.
um. i’ve never had fried okra.
i need to remedy that someday….don’t i??
Megsie – Somehow, your reminding me that I have no choice is helping me get over the stupid mama worries (what WILL they do without me???) and prepare to enjoy my mandatory vacation. I wish we could meet up too!
Liz – Oh my. My, my, my. Have you ever eaten real southern fried okra? In my opinion, it is the closest thing to heaven on this planet. I would take it over butter pecan ice cream if I had to choose (and fortunately, I won’t have to choose between them on this trip… hooray!).
Q – Don’t worry, my e-reader (not a Kindle, but close enough) is already packed to the gill with books. I haven’t heard of “Room” though; I’ll have to check that out!
Beka – Honey, I only have one thing to say, and it is… get thee to a Cracker Barrel stat.