On A Jet Plane

All our bags are packed...

(Well, at least as long as we're going someplace where we can buy what we forgot.)

We're ready to go...

(Well, as ready as we non-frequent fliers ever are.)

This flying thing presents an interesting dynamic for us--

Rarely, these days, are we all going to the same place at the same time (rarely are we all even AWAKE at the same time!)

Rarely, these days, are we called upon to be quite so interdependent--relying on each other for everything from holding documents to retrieving each other's shoes from the security conveyer belt.

Rarely, these days, do we sit together in such confined spaces (and wow, are those airplane seats confined spaces!)

We are still ourselves, with our particular interests and our own electronic devices.

We are still ourselves, with our own choices about snacks and drinks.

We are still who we always are, yet, we are different--in among strangers, and perhaps because of that, more attached to those we know.

And maybe, that's what a family vacation is all about, no matter where you go. It's about being "together" in different ways than you're used to. It's about working together, simply to make it through. It's about managing individual interests while preserving the group interests that will make the trip work.

We leave on a jet plane, knowing full well when we will be back again, and knowing that when we return, we will be just a little different than when we left...