Today’s themes seem to be lists and panic. Our lists, that we had been making some progress with crossing items off of, are starting to explode. So many things we’d forgotten, spring back to mind and find their way onto our lists. That could feel overwhelming, but a bigger inner stress is trying to build in us: what about all those things we’ve thought of and not added to the lists?! Something comes to mind, and before we can add it to the list there’s some distraction. What if one of those items is something crucial? Then we breathe deeply and remember that we’re not flying out into the tundra wilderness, but across thousands of miles dotted with big cities, airports and lots of resources. Just this morning we admitted to ourselves that some of our preparations for the trip will probably happen on the trip.
So the panic subsides a bit. Then we look at the maps (and increasingly charts), and the magnificence of what lies ahead moderates the magnitude of it. As a July AOPA pilot magazine article noted, long flying trips are just a collection of short flights. Each is a mini-adventure punctuated by discoveries of people and places at landings along the way.
Each day, as more is made ready and yet more arises to do, we bump along between moments of accomplishment and overwhelm. What will today’s preparations reveal?
John & Anne Wiley 