Monday, March 10, 2008

Still (stuck) in Florida

This will have to do with books by the end, but I'll start by saying that I am still in Florida. I should have done pj storytime tonight at the library in cold, Walker, MI.

Yesterday morning my mom drove me to Orlando (which is an hour from her home in Melbourne beach). She dropped me off, said goodbye and drove home. I got my boarding pass and headed to the gate only to see that my flight was delayed. I approached the desk and plead my case about a connecting flight in Atlanta and they sent me to another gate with an earlier flight heading out. But when I got there the bad news cloud was darker. The captain for this flight was on the same airplane that was delayed from the other flight. Neither captain would be leaving Orlando anytime soon. Standby in Atlanta wasn't an option as there were already several people ahead of me and no seats on any flights out to GR until TUESDAY. I called my mom (who had already arrived back home) and asked her to come pick me up. Oh, and did I mention my luggage made its way to Grand Rapids without me?

So here I am...still in Florida. Reading Eat Pray Love for the second time and STILL loving it. I have never had such a "right book at the right time" moment before in my life. Tonight I will leave the house at midnight and drive an hour north to the Kennedy Space Center where Space Shuttle Endeavour will launch at 2:28 a.m. I am told it is an incredible sight and not to be missed. I've seen a rocket launch before but never a shuttle. So here in Florida I am living it up, savoring every minute while missing husband, home and dog with an aching heart.

Elizabeth Gilbert's book is bringing me so much comfort. I have had such a relaxing and peaceful vacation, even with a 2 day vacation addendum. I've finished part 1 of EPL again and here is the final words of the 36th chapter:

And I will leave with the hope that the expansion of one person - the magnification of one life - is indeed an act of worth in this world. Even if that life, just this one time, happens to be nobody's but my own.

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