Somewhere Over the Pacific, Eating Oreo Knockoffs

Ten and a half hours in the air and all I’ve got to show for it is a numb ass and a handful of Oreo knockoffs from the World Club Lounge at Narita. Tobey would absolutely lose her mind over these things.

Landing into Tokyo, there wasn’t much to see — just enough to remind you that you are decidedly not in Kansas anymore. Or Michigan. Or wherever the comfortable version of your life is parked.

Here’s the thing though. My head’s in a better place today than it was when I left. Something clicked somewhere over the Pacific — maybe around hour six, maybe when the knockoff Oreos hit. I’ve accepted it. The journey has started. There’s no reverse gear on this thing.

Doesn’t mean the voice in the back of my head shut up. That voice — the one that sounds suspiciously like every armchair critic I’ve ever known — is still running its mouth. Why would you travel around the world for fun? You have friends at home. You have family. You have a couch. And look, I get it. Those people aren’t wrong about what they love. They know what makes them happy and they’re doing it. Respect.

But I know me. I need to be moving. Standing still feels like slowly going under.

Still — I’d be lying if I said the doubts weren’t there. I keep reading the guidebooks and getting fired up, then immediately spiraling into: What if I can’t handle this? What if the altitude wrecks me? What if I’m still not fully recovered? What if I’m just not built for this?

Maybe it’s beyond me. Maybe I won’t handle the load.

We’ll see. That’s all I’ve got right now. We will see.

As an aside, it was nice to know I still had a little mojo in my game.. as I was deplaning, I met a stunning! woman named Liz Boback on the flight — works for Bayer, clinical trials. She was thinking of heading to Nepal but bailed because of the cold. I did not bail. Points to me, but damn if I wont miss a smart, pretty woman to travel with.