Traveling through the New Year

On Sunday morning, I scanned the destinations board at the Salt Lake City International Airport to see if my flight to Chicago was on time.

I returned Sunday from an unexpected trip on Jan. 1 to Salt Lake City where my daughter gave birth that day to a little girl, Brooklyn Rayne. My little granddaughter was born six weeks early but is doing well though she remains in the hospital. My daughter is also doing well, following a very difficult pregnancy and complicated delivery and recovery.

Seeing that my return flight home was on time Sunday morning, I took a seat near my gate and thought about all the other cities listed on that destinations board and about the people who would be boarding those planes. I wondered about their stories behind those trips.

I also wondered if I would be making any more unexpected, emergency trips in 2012.

Turning my focus back to the reading materials I had in my carry-on case, I found my church newsletter from home, stuck in a book I had brought with me. In that newsletter was a short article written by one of the most famous and prolific writers of all times, “Anonymous.” The title of the article was, “Where will 2012 Take You and Me?”

I had read the article a few weeks back but given the intensity of the past couple weeks, I needed again the humor and insight of Anonymous as he/she reflected upon the many destinations we all may make in any given year. Those thoughts are as follows:

“I have been in many places, but I’ve never been in Cahoots. Apparently you can’t go there alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.

“I have also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.

“I have, however, been in Sane. They don’t have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work.

“I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I’m not too much on physical activity.

“I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to go there too often.