The Chicago Skyline

The Chicago Skyline is clearly visible from my seat in the American Airlines Admiral Lounge. Also from here I can see all the airport vehicles busily buzzing around, moving airplanes and hauling luggage. I can only imagine how things will be different when I reach my final destination.

Within the borders of our nation we are so sheltered from what happens across either ocean. Famine, illness and violence plague much of the world. I don’t imagine that I’ll see many of the locals when I finally get to base. But I do imagine that their situations are a far cry from what our citizens face, even those who are destitute.
I imagine a world with no infrastructure, a world where it’s dangerous to walk the streets even as an adult let alone a child. A world where violence happens so regularly that it has become common place. A place where things as simple as running water, which most of us take for granted, is a commodity left only for those wealthy few who a can afford such luxuries. Of course at this point I haven’t even left the States, so for now I can only imagine based upon media reports.

In reality I’m not sure what to expect. As with most of life’s experiences I try to have little expectation. As for the expectations I do have, I try to keep them as negative as possible. I’m not a fan of being disappointed and I do my best to avoid it. Of course I sound like a pessimist right now, but for those who know me that is far from the truth. I guess I like to look at experiences as a road.

You’d never expect a road to be perfectly smooth, otherwise why have tires. But no matter how bumpy the road the destination should always be the focus. I’m not explaining this very well… It’s actually been about 7 hours since I started writing this. I’ve since left Chicago and am over the Atlantic somewhere. It’s around 1 AM CST and I haven’t really slept, but I’m working on becoming an insomniac so this is good practice… Sorry, back to my little analogy.

So, life is like a road, expect the road to be bumpy but at the same time expect the destination to be wonderful. I think that makes a bit more sense. I’ve done a lot of road trips. Alone I’ve driven from Missouri to Colorado 9 times. I’ve driven with friends from Columbia, MO to Mexico and Utah and from St. Louis, MO I’ve driven to Key West and San Francisco (thanks to my big Hawaiian friend for letting me join in the night before they planned on leaving). At no point did I ever think the ride there was going to be puppy dogs and candy (I picked that one up from DB) but I knew the destination was going to be worth the pot holes.

I think I finally realized what the “road” is. The road is this entire chapter of my life. My “destination” isn’t Afghanistan. It’s what I’ve gained after this experience is over.

But to get to that reward I need to spend most of the rest of this year in hell.