Reminiscing Lugging Laughing

Elizabeth on Our Assent to the Top

Ellie, Taking a Drink of Water From Elizabeth

Recently, I returned from a trip to California.  Elizabeth, my daughter, lives in Long Beach.  We haven’t been able to connect since December.  

I did dread the flight, layovers, terrible germ possibilities, security walk-throughs, lugging luggage, line waiting, take offs and landings.

But, you know, it was fine.  I’ve reached the point of not feeling rushed in security lines. (even though there are people breathing down my back while I remove my shoes, take out my laptop, open my sleep machine, empty my pockets and ask the person behind me to please grab an extra bin for me, for my backpack).

It was weird, this departure.  They wanted everyone to take out their medicine and put it in a bin.  I was glad I had my handy.  Nothing would have been worse than sifting through underwear and choices of clothes for a trip, to find something.  Especially in front of fifty people waiting behind me gawking at the reason it’s taking so long!

Returning to Michigan, and going through security at Los Angeles, when I went through security, an officer asked me to step aside for a moment.  That’s the ultimate dread.  My mind was thinking, "Oh, great, now what?”  "Maybe it’s nothing”  "Did I leave something sharp in my backpack?”  "What?” 

I stepped aside, into a semi-type of booth, with the officer.  "Open your backpack for me, please,” he said.  

"Oh,” I said, "It must be my rock!”  I unzipped it for him.  He pulled out a five pound, disc-shaped, flat, rock.  "Wow, this is really cool”, he noted, "You’re okay to go”, he said softly and smiled at me.  

I placed the heavy rock I found by the ocean, in Long Beach, carefully back into my backpack, next to my laptop and walked through to find my gate.  "Not everyone knows how much you love rocks, ya know,”  I reminded myself.  

I laugh inside every time I think about it.  Because not only did I have to haul the heavy thing back to Michigan.  When I found it on the beach, Elizabeth agreed to carry it in her backpack for me, on the very along hike up from the ocean.  

Love is kind.

Ellie, Smart Enough to Look for Shade from the California Sun

Atop the Cliff From Our Trek to the Ocean
(seaweed showing red from the distance)

Elizabeth, Tea Close at Hand, on the Internet