The Little Things In Life

PDX Airport
Volume 3, Issue 31
December 24, 2008

-The Little Things In Life-
…free wi-fi and coffee shops…

It’s almost Christmas Eve eve and I am sitting at the Portland, OR airport. Only 14 more hours until my flight. The end is practically in sight!

I have been cooped up in a local hotel because of horrific weather – over 10 inches of snow and freezing rain, for the past few days. Yesterday the City of Portland lifted its requirement that you have to have chains on your tires to drive, just long enough for me to make it down to my friend’s home in Salem. It was a scary ride, with lots of prayers, especially since I drive a Honda civic, but I made it unscathed. I only got stuck once, and that was kind of fun – all part of the adventure.

I spent the night in Salem last night and then rode with my friend as we came back to the Portland airport today. The roads were dramatically better, though still sketchy in spots. Her flight left earlier today, but I am left to wait until 6:15 am December 25 for my departure. As fortune would have it, I have a connecting flight in Chicago tomorrow before I arrive in Dayton, Ohio.

My flight may get cancelled tomorrow, or maybe I will get stranded in the Chicago airport and get to sleep on a cot with all the other people, but at least Portland airport has free wi-fi and lots of coffee shops – how can I ever complain! I am like a kid in a toy shop right now. There is even a book store too! Sweet! In fact, I think I am going to go drink a dark beer and eat a piece of dark chocolate cake as I watch a movie from 1932 that I downloaded on my computer. I may even watch another mover later tonight before I find a spot on the floor, sleep for while, and then magically get flown away to the Midwest – or at least I hope.

Oh the memories. Seriously though, the unplanned events of the past few days have been fun, chaotic, and adventurous despite their complete upheaval of my originally planned itinerary. I jumped up and down on my hotel bed like a crazy man, played in the snow, read some decent books, watched lots of old animated Christmas movies, and contemplated the many problems of life with a friend. It is the little things in life that bring great joy.