Jet Lag

The sky was a stunning blue as I looked down on the glaciers and snow covered mountains of Western Canada and Alaska. It was a view that was the best welcome sign you could see. I was nearly home—weary but excited to be close to the end of my travels. There is no place like home even after being in the remote islands of Indonesia and the beautiful continent of Australia.

I left the northland with a dental team in early February. Seventeen flights later I am back in the same place from which I started. The international flights were all packed and the local puddle jumpers were nail biters. I was stuffed into seats made for people much smaller than I, and I sat next to Sumo wrestlers in training on a nine hour flight. The one I communicated with could not speak very good English and he definitely took up his seat and more. I even gave him part of my in-flight meal which he received with a smile. The meal was hardly a snack for him even with my donations. I met a wonderful 18 year old Singaporean who was going, during school break, to join a team to help the Japanese tsunami survivors. It has been one year since that disaster and he was giving his time to make a difference. I was so proud of him and only imagined what he will change in his lifetime. He did spend most of the trip sleeping on my shoulder. I met people who wanted to talk and those who wanted to sleep. I slept when I could and read a couple books between Sumo wrestlers in training, young world changers, cramped seating and wondering how the plane landed in that tropical rain storm.

The miles went zipping past at 600 mph over the Pacific Ocean and over the dry plains of the great southland. I am now home but jet lagged. I know what that means for me over the next few weeks. I met some wonderful people and added thousands of miles to my mileage plan. I will need to use them because I will be back in the air in a month or so. I wonder who will be sitting next to me over those cloud piercing miles.