In Transit

The last couple of months, I found myself going on long, late night walks all over the neighborhood and beyond.  Initially, I thought I would walk on days when I didn't run.  Then, I began walking on days when I already had run.  It clears my head and gives me the opportunity to listen to podcasts or music and, really, to unwind after a stressful day.  

Last night, about 9:45 p.m., I left the house and walked down to Christ the King.  I stopped in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary in the courtyard and asked our Holy Mother to intercede on JP's behalf and to ask our Lord to provide him safe passage on his journey to Tasmania.  Afterwards, I walked over to the running stream and said a prayer for him.  It comforted me to pray for JP.  That's a special spot for me, and it always comforts me to pray there.  

As I write this, JP is on a Qantas Boeing 787-9 Dreamline, flight QFA22, flying over the Pacific Ocean at 36,000 feet.  He's roughly eight hours out of Melbourne, Australia, where he will have a three hour layover before he boards a flight for Tasmania.  I hope he's getting some sleep because it's night time where he is and he will be landing about 6:13 a.m.  Jet lag is a bitch, especially on a flight as long as this one.  

Thanks to the miracle of modern technology, I am tracking his flight on Flightradar 24, an app I just downloaded on my cell phone.  It's kind of crazy.  

It's funny, JP sent me a text last night from the plane, as I was going to bed, to tell me that Giannis Antetokounmpo had been traded to Miami.  Just now, Joe texted me to tell me that he's watching Sportscenter and it looks like Jaylen Brown (Celtics) is going to be traded, too.  The apple hasn't fallen far from the tree in terms of sports fandom.

During my walk last night, I listened to Romeo and Juliet, the poignant, heartbreaking, sparse yet powerful song by Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits.  I did a bit of a Dire Straits deep dive.  Then, this morning, as I walked into 8th & Roast for coffee, the boys were playing Dire Straits' Sultans of Swing.  

I took that as a sign.  A good sign of safe passage for JP.  I turned them on to Romeo and Juliet, so they played it.  Great, great song.  It was a nice way to start my morning before I run Joe and Pike over to Vanderbilt basketball camp.  

So, JP is in transit.  We're all in transit, in a way.  Going from one place to another, praying to our Lord for safe passage to our final destination.