1:23am - Eyes Wide Open

Why am I up, you ask, at 1:23 in the morning?

That's right, putting my 10th grade Geometry Team skills to the test in a way even dear old Kleinschmidt (my math team coach - I know, nerd) never dreamed. It truly is amazing just how much fits in a quart sized ziploc bag. Certainly if said bag is stretched manually beforehand to ensure maximum capacity, and especially if a Mu Alpha Theta geometry geek (who, me?) is on the job.

Not too much more now to shove in my backpack - just a cocktail dress that's at the dry cleaners. I'm not certain exactly how that's going to work. I think I'm literally creating negative space - a black hole - in my shiny new Victorinox E-motion Trek Pack Plus.

I suppose many of you are wondering why I'm making the trip. To be honest, I'm not sure whether I'm running from something (my brother's death, an career that's less fulfilling than I'd like, my divorce & ex-husband, a family that sometimes feels a little too heavy, the literal physical weight I've lost) or, rather, running toward something (a new career, a new man, a new body, a renewed relationship with my loved ones) - who knows? For some reason, I think there's an answer in Africa, perhaps at the summit of Kilimanjaro. Or maybe I feel like I need to go so far away from all of this noise just to hear myself think.

Okay, so I'm waxing philosophic. It's late. I'm on my way far from home.

And I simply cannot wait.

The real reason I'm awake? I am like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa. I'm too excited to sleep.

From here on in, sleep is reserved exclusively for long flights in coach. The rest of the trip is eyes (ears, heart and mind) wide open.

I wonder what we'll see . . .