See you in five days. It isn’t a long time but a long time can happen in five days.
We’ll be in LA in a little over an hour. The pilot came on the intercom to say that we are currently over lake Michigan, that soon we’ll be crossing into Chicago, Illinois to our left, then going through Iowa, over the plains in Colorado, over the rocky mountains, crossing the tip of new mexico and into southern California. Ontario will be to our left, LA will be to our right. He said this very explanatory in three minutes, nonchalantly, but also paying attention to each region covered, being sure he didn’t skip large chunks of land or water. Over two thousand miles covered in six hours, explained in plain English in a minute or two. It all seemed so simple. The very base and seeming essence of all our problems, the distance that shuts out and isolates coasts from the heartland to coasts again, boiled down to a few lines. It was comforting for a moment to think, as it always is, that though we can’t compete with distance, we can shrug it off sometimes and go on dealing; not denying it perse, but not letting it get to us either. If only for a bit, still, it’s something… and only something words can give and take away.
In the 12 months I’ve lived here, writing has been the only thing that has saved me consistently from going mad. so thank you… whatever intangibility binds us to each other to communicate and seek relief in recording whatever silly thoughts of the moment, thank you.