thoughts on traveling

I've just gotten back from a couple of trips. #1 was over Labor Day weekend, to Pennsylvania, to spend some time with my dad, step-mom, brother, sister-in-law, and the two adorable nieces.

#2 was just a brief jaunt down to Berrian Springs to pick up a friend who needed a ride home after dropping off a car.

What interested me was the comparison between the two trips.

#1 required a round-trip airplane ticket, with a stop in Cleveland both coming and going

#2 was a simple two-hour drive, staying for dinner, and a two-hour drive home again.

What I found interesting was that the level of preparation for the two was roughly the same.

Those of us alive on this world right now have become so accustomed to flying. It's so easy (except if you're my father ... plane-chaos seems to follow him). The routines are familiar, and even the snags are easily overcome.

I don't even think to PRAY about it -- I'm being hurled into the air, held aloft by scientific laws I don't fully understand, and dropped down again in a strange city, where I know nobody ... with only a piece of paper (which I printed myself, at home) guaranteeing me that I'll continue on to my final destination.

And I actually put more preparation into a Sunday afternoon drive (get gas, clean out the car, charge my mp3 player and phone, tell the GPS where I want to go, etc.)

It just struck me strange!

I have some sweet pictures from Labor Day with the nieces, and I hope to post a few, provided their parents give permission. (pssst ... parents .... ???)