22 Hours

We've been citizens of the airplane for about a day now. There's been the usual bout of pre-cooked meals, microconditioned air, and a lack in leg room. We've showed our hideous passports to one too many people than we're comfortable with (mainly security guards), and our carry-on fluids have not even left that ziplog bag they claim is for security. As easy as it is to complain about the customs line or the strict guard in their even stricter uniform, it is also an absolute blessing. Just the simple fact that we have to travel 24 hours to get away from our homes and into the 3rd world shows how well we have things. As Westerners it's awfully tempting to blur the focus of perspective and complain about our femur's hardships on a 22-hour trip. But really we should see it as a blessing that we live in such an established and progressive country that is distant from facing survival challenges everyday. We should not complain in the face of a long voyage, but rejoice in it.