Every now and then...

Every now and then, things go smoothly for a change. You show up at the ticket counter to find no line whatsoever. Not only that, the ticketing agent, a short, plump, platinum blond named Abby, is in a good mood: she jokes, she smiles, and she doesn’t charge you for your suspiciously bike shaped “display case”. Since you were anticipating a much longer wait, you arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. “There’s an earlier flight out to San Francisco with extra room, would you like to take that instead?” Abby asks. An earlier flight? “Yes, thank you!” you chirp.

You arrive at security to find that, despite the addition of another completely unnecessary security measure (not just computers, but all larger electronics must be removed from your bag and x-rayed separately) the line at security is mercifully short. You breath a sigh of relief, as your regular-sized toothpaste and regular sized deodorant remain undetected, and unconfiscated. You arrive at your exit-row, window seat, just as the passenger in the center decides that he is not able or willing to assist in the event of an emergency, and is reseated, leaving the seat next to you empty.

The take-off is smooth, and you fall asleep within moments, waking only briefly as the drinks are served. The stewardess, a tall, attractive Asian woman named Gloria is in a good mood: she jokes, she smiles, she gives you the whole can of the drink you ordered. She gives you two snacks instead of one. You doze again. When you wake, the plane is landing in calm weather, with great visibility. The wheels make contact with the ground with the tenderness of a doe nuzzling her fawn. Your bags are the first ones down the baggage chute. Your “display case” is in good shape; there is not a single bicycle part protruding from the exterior, no evidence of being dropped or crushed.

You collect your belongings and shuttle it all to the curb. You flick open your cell phone, but before you can dial, you see that familiar Jeep Cherokee pulling up to the sidewalk right in front of you. You load your baggage, and since you took an earlier flight, there is no traffic on the freeway. You arrive with enough daylight left to go fishing. You don’t catch and fish, but you don’t mind.

Every now and then, things go smoothly for a change. And I like it when they do.