ANOTHER TIME ... MAYBE

I seem to have settled into a life style which finds me (currently) satisfied to remain close to home. I'll be the first to admit living in Arkansas is NOT the most cosmopolitan of places, but the life is easy & the people are (mostly) very friendly. I suppose I could do worse.

Back in the days I was employed, I was provided the opportunity by the companies I worked for to have business appointments to most of the United States. Adding in travels Canada & Europe, as well as Central & South America, I've sampled just about the whole earth, minus Africa & Asia.

Now that I have slowed down my life, the thought of traveling does not have the attraction it once did. With all the rules & regulations -- as well as added fees & expenses -- whether by plane or hitting the road, extended/distant traveling seems like too much of a hassle for me. I don't need it.

Still ... I would like to go to Japan some day.

When I worked for Caboodles Cosmetics, as part of the relocation of the company from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to Memphis, Tennessee, I made many trips to Western Canada.

It's never "Quick & Easy" to fly anywhere from Little Rock. It's a small airport (12 gates) & most of the airlines fly to their "hub airports", where another flight -- or two ... or more -- is involved in getting to a final destination.

It was always an all-day event to fly to Vancouver. Most times, I would fly to Memphis & then catch another flight to Seattle, Washington. From there I would have to catch a commuter plane -- read that: "small plane ... with propellers" -- to Vancouver. Reverse everything to get back home to Arkansas.

Flying has often been "glamorized" for traveling. Fly often enough, & far enough, & the "thrill/enjoyment" of flying soon goes away. For me, due to the amount of mileage I had acquired with my years of travel, I was more times than not, "upgraded" to First Class. It's really the ONLY way to fly ... especially when thousands of miles of travel is involved.

In Seattle, just about every time I was waiting for my connecting flight, I would see a Northwest Airlines 747 being loaded for it's daily trip to Japan & Korea. I often wished I could be on that flight -- in First Class, of course -- & visit a part of the world which holds much desire for me to explore & see first hand.

In reality, I was either just deplaneing, or preparing to board, a MUCH smaller Horizon Airlines plane. The size difference in planes, not to mention the propellers on the commuter plane, made me realize my wish to visit Japan, would have to wait for another time.

I'm still waiting.