Springer's Journey

I have a confession.

I almost missed it.

I was so busy flying the airplane that I forgot to look out the window.

For days and days I was checking weather, checking oil, listening to Cora, watching for yellow lights, keeping an eye on tire pressure, wondering where I would stop next, and trying to make sure I wasn’t doing anything monumentally stupid.

I was flying.

And then Headquarters said something that stopped me in my tracks:

“Lorrie… you’re on final approach.”

Final approach.

I laughed at first because of course my brain immediately went to flying.

One tire.

Two tires.

Slow…slow…

Don’t pull power back just yet.

But then something happened.

I looked out the window.

And I realized:

ARE YOU SERIOUS??!! IT’S TODAY!

Not someday.

Not a few more states.

Not a distant place on a map.

Today.

About 2,600 miles ago I was sitting in Oregon wondering if I could even do this.

Then came mountains.

Yellow lights.

Love’s truck stops.

Libraries.

Birds singing at 4:30 in the morning.

A tiny tire leak.

Grackles holding loud meetings in Oklahoma.

Fireflies that made me cry.

Cloud stretching into her full magnificent beauty.

And somewhere in there I forgot I wasn’t just traveling.

I was arriving.

I used to love landing airplanes.

Not because they were over.

Because of that feeling right before touchdown.

Wings out.

Nose up.

Power still in.

The runway finally in sight.

I think that’s where I am right now.

Not at the end.

Just touching down.

And Cora?

Let’s ALL applaud Cora.

Reliable.

Uncomplaining.

Stellar. (Pun intended.)

She carried me safely through every mile and never once said a word about my repeated oil checks and nervous glances.

I shut her off after we arrived and for a moment there was silence.

No highway hum.

No tire cadence.

Just one thought:

“We actually did it.”

— Lorrie

Polished with help from ChatGPT, Headquarters Division, which still believes Mayday Murphy filed entirely too many reports during this mission.