Scenes From My Life

    It was a slow afternoon at the tiny Seattle coffee shop.  As I opened the door, a group of three school-aged boys ran in front of me.  Each of the boys was lugging an overloaded backpack with them.  They obviously had just left the private school a couple of blocks down the street.  As I perused the menu, the three boys placed their orders, all the while joking with one another.  The first two each requested a pastry and a glass of water.  The third boy studied the menu a bit longer before deciding.        “Umm. . . I’d like a tall espresso, double shot, please.”          The cashier giggled a bit, thinking that her young customer was just repeating something he had heard adults order. After a few seconds, she jokingly said to him, “Alright. . . whatever.”        Noticing that the boy seemed serious, she looked puzzled.  Then, she responded with an incredulous, “Wait.  Are you sure?”        The boy could not believe he was being questioned.        “Yeah . . . definitely,” h

The Plan:             10 days in the Pacific Northwest             A good fare on a new airline             Checking two suitcases . . . both of which make it to Seattle             A quick stop in Denver to drop off passengers             An hour-long layover in Salt Lake City             Arriving in Seattle in time for dinner with family The Reality:             10 days in the Pacific Northwest             A good fare on a new airline             Leaving Atlanta 52 minutes late             An unplanned change of planes in Denver             Leaving Denver 70 minutes late             Missing my connection in Salt Lake City             A two hour layover in Salt Lake City             A re-routed flight to Phoenix             Exiting the plane in Phoenix then immediately re-boarding it             Arriving in Seattle the next day But both of my bags made it!