Wash the sheets! Pick up those pieces of construction debris! Hide a key! Do laundry! Eat!
Pack some checks. Hide the jewels! Show the neighbor girl where the tomato plants are to water.
Pack gifts for grandson and graduate. Pills, food, hats, don’t forget the hats. Ceremony is outside.
Mouthguard. Pillow – oops, doesn’t fit.
Jeans, boots, undies. Try to sleep.
4:00 a.m., awake from a colorful dream. Dogs are nervous. What’s going on?
Up by 6:00. Sheets in wash for dog sitter.
Pack everything.
Phone charger, food for the six-hour flight.
Book – where’s the book?
Left behind with pillow?
Drive to airport, daughter in passenger seat. Forgot my water. Where are the Tums?
Cough, cough, cough.
Sky is cloudy. We’re over the bridge. Traffic not too bad.
We’re here. No Skycap. Too early.
I roll two bags up to the luggage kiosks. Get my own baggage claim tickets. Scan my printed ticket.
Get help. Don’t fly enough to remember how to do it.
Check the big bag. Off to TSA for the security check. People in masks. Where’s mine? Got boosted two weeks ago.
Take off belt, shoes, jacket, everything into tubs, laptop out of carry-on bag.
Phone, purse, everything into four tubs. Do the drill.
TSA agent asks to scan my left arm. Forgot the compression sleeve with copper infused into the fabric.
Waves me away after I explain.
Carry everything to a chair and put it all back on.
Find a restroom. Find water dispenser. Fill water bottle.
Hurry up and wait. Flight boards in an hour. Time to get reorganized.
Eat a banana. Read my book.
That’s right, no book.
Take off the hat. Stare out the window. At my phone. At my tiny world, about to get bigger.
Heading out for my yearly adventure.
P.S. Found my book.
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 