I write this entry from the D terminal of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. After six hours flying from Honolulu to Texas and a good seven hours’ layover a few miles from Cowtown, my traveling group and I are ready to board our nine-hour flight to London.

Whether alone or with others, travel is a funny thing. It rubs you raw in odd ways, points out your flaws when you didn’t even ask for any kind of personal critique. My goal this time is to be open to the Spirit and learn from the frustrating moments.

Along the way, I’m going to continue reading Jamie Smith’s On the Road with Saint Augustine. It’s one of two books that I’ve brought along for the ride. Here’s a great quote from the section titled “Orientation”:

The key is to know where we are, and whose we are, and where we’re headed, and not to be surprised by the burdens of the road.

Smith is talking about the things we can learn from Augustine as we consider his personal travelogue. That paragraph from page 17 ends with this:

To know where you’re headed is. Not a promise of smooth sailing.

I’m trying to practice prayer as I walk and grace as I talk. I am hopeful about arriving, having left the idea of “the joy is in the journey” behind with other things that sound nice but just aren’t true.