Tuesday, March 17, 2015 – St. Patrick's Day
It is 7:53pm and I’m picked up outside of an Irish pub in downtown Seattle. I’m heading to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
It is also St. Patrick’s Day and I made the most of it, starting at the first pub of the day at about the time people have brunch. I’ve just left pub number four of the day. I do things well.
Seattle Firefighters Pipes and Drums Band at Fado Irish Pub on St. Patrick's Day 2015.
8:15pm – Arrival at airport.
Today I am under new management. For the foreseeable future, direction will come from only what is possible and what is not.
8:19pm – Check in.
I have some dreams to put an end to. By making them a reality.
8:27pm – Security.
If you're going to tell, you might as well go ahead and tell all. I operate under the principles of being open and honest, despite the periodic disadvantageous nature of such.
8:44pm – At gate.
I am an addict. For me, twelve steps never had a chance of bringing change. I can only hold back so long before I need another. I can't acquire what I need on the street; there is no dealer for it, except for life itself.
Adventure comes in many ways. I believe that adventure is doing today something new, something different than what you did yesterday.
In the interim of experiencing what really takes off the edge, I tried to manage it with other options, like climbing Washington State's tallest peaks and biking long distances. But then that seemed to no longer be enough, probably in part because of what I had already tasted.
10:31pm – Boarding.
Travel is my adventure of choice. Road signs I can't read, an accent I can't follow, food I have never tasted before, and currency I can't compute. Once you've had it, you then need more the next time, and even more after that.
10:39pm – Seated in 7A.
Sometimes, I can be okay if I just plan a trip, but then not take it. Research the locations, details, places to stay, how to get there, local transportation, and more options of what to do then can be done. And then, just not go.
10:48pm – Seatbelt light is on, plane pulls away from gate.
But this adventure, this was not a trip that I could bring myself to not click "complete" to process the transaction. And you will no doubt see that making that click was the right choice.
10:54pm – Plane moves towards runway.
No one knows the full itinerary ahead, and that makes this all the more adventurous and all the more suspenseful for you and I. Not even I yet know all the details, and that is a beautiful thing. Because to know the end before you have begun, is not an adventure at its finest at all.
11:03pm – Plane begins to accelerate down runway.
Are you ready for "reasonable?" Or... Are you ready for an adventure?
11:05pm – Liftoff.
This is definitely something different than what I did yesterday.
Dramatic Entry: Check
"I wish I had spent more time in the office." – no one ever
Seattle lights.