Sara in Real Life

My life is not like a movie.  In movies, cute, tiny suitcases are magically all packed and in pristine order the very morning of departure.  In movies, people are tearful, yes, yet calm and collected before they enter through to their gate (where the entrance is naturally never crowded).  In movies, no one suddenly thinks, “Oh! I forgot this and that and this...” during their emotional farewells and must rush home to retrieve their wayward items, therefore interrupting what should be a perfectly good Hollywood moment.  Basically, in movies, things happen as they should.

In my life, various trips to Walgreens must be made the morning of my flight for small things that apparently were forgotten for the past three months during which I was planning.  In my life, farewell lunches at St. Louis Bread Co. are interrupted by the terrifying discovery that I forgot my camera battery charger, and a beautiful, satisfying meal of black bean soup and whole grain baguette is discarded like a stale peanut butter sandwich as I make a mad dash home.  In my life, said charger is not discovered in time, and I must make my way to the airport, head hung in shame, as images of my grandma’s disappointed face echo in my mind.

In my life, as you see, things don’t always run smoothly.

However, I did make it to the airport in time, checked my bag through to Amsterdam, and found my gate with no difficulty.  My flight to Detroit, while wrought with turbulence, was actually quite excellent: I had the entire row to myself, and no one was in front of or behind me.  I pretty much had the back left corner of the plane all to myself, which was, believe it or not, very much satisfactory.  The diligent little plane landed safely, and early, on the ground.  Thus, as of yet, I’m still in one piece.

As I post this entry, I’m sitting in the Online Cafe Bar and Grill, drinking a Bells Oberon and stealthily observing the various people around me (and whatever the heck is happening with the Rod Blagojevich trial on CNN).  In less than two hours, I will be headed to the Netherlands, and hopefully will be reporting back with tales of tulips, windmills, and wooden clogs. Tot ziens!