Keep to the simple

"Twas the night before China, when all through the house, not a family member was yet sleeping, especially my spouse.
The luggage was all stacked by the door with care,

in hopes that our ride would remember to be there.
Eddy was nestled all snug in his bed, while visions of Call of Duty danced in his head."Well you get the idea.

This afternoon my Google Calendar popped up with the following: "Reminder: China @ Thu Jul 14 - Sun Jul 31, 2011 (J Albright Doings)." It was hard enough to concentrate without this little note - I dared not delete it in case I forgot that I had the trip. I have been trying diligently to not act like I have never been out of little Sugarwater, Oklahoma and am looking forward to my big trip to Wichita Falls (I mean I did grow up overseas, so should be normal, right?). Each moment at work was like working on a bomb that must be defused today but I won't know if it blows up until three weeks from now. Is it the red wire or the blue? Hope I find out some day!

I had the last-minute China packing to do. Against all common sense, I am packing an immense amount of clothes - perhaps twice the amount of my last trip. Why only 6 t-shirts when 8 will make sure that I am not caught looking un-casual at wrong moment. A quick jaunt to the library made sure I was testing the weight limits. Of course, the only attractive books were hardcover ones that had "14-days ONLY" on them - meaning I would not only be overburdened, I would be late with the book and thus owe more fines, and I probably won't read it anyway. I am not sure how much time I have on buses and planes, but I brought 15 books so I may just have to forsake the Great Wall for a great read.

Finally, my medicines. Being wiser (and older) I have accumulated both many medical needs as well as the sense to do most of them. With Eddy, we double up on most medicines, so we have to take a lot of stuff with us. Figuring out the meal count, we are taking over 900 enzyme pills - seriously, 900 - in their new, unbreakable glass bottles. Along with packages of refrigerated medicines (TOBI, pulmozyme) and a host of others, both inhaled and ingested, I am perhaps more traveling medical supplies salesman than tourist. I have three bags for the medicines. All that is left is getting the Chinese translation for "Cystic Fibrosis," as I am pretty sure the odds of an understanding customs agent are relatively dim. Maybe I will be thrown in jail like some unrepentant rock star - making headlines back home while making friends in the Chinese gulag. The key to all this is to be really sick at the airport, so they can't dispute the prescriptions. 

Tomorrow my littlest grandkids will join us on the trek to Dulles to bid us farewell and to endure two hours of Beltway traffic for kicks. I will miss everyone here at home and work, but boy, those two will be hard to slip away from. From here on out, I will keep to the simple and not try and control - just enjoy.

The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to.
It is content with the low places that people disdain. Thus it is like the Tao.
In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.
When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you.