airport

This is where it gets at once calming and exciting. Calming because I can't work myself into a frenzy anymore about everything that I would have wanted to get done. My luggage is away; I can't practice pulling on crampons nice and tight or making knots all with my gloves on, or sleep outside, or test out new clothes, trying to do so in conditions similar to those to be encountered. And in that sense, I feel thankful for the bouts of cold we experienced. It really determined which mitts and hats would do the job. There won't be a warm chalet to duck into to warm up on the mountain...
And exciting. Because all the frenzied preparations behind me, I can now let myseld catch up to the moment, and anticipate, and know that I will be more truly with myself, more truly living what I will be experiencing, than one normally does or can in our regular lives. Breathe..I watch other people. The business travelers so distinct from the rest. The shops close. Everything is quiet. How often have I seen airport and bus terminals and train stations like this. Quiet.
This is why we do this I think. To get back to ourselves. Whether it's through painting like my friend Stacey, or running like many of my friends, or traveling in a certain way that makes us feel closer to what we are; to go back to ourselves.