Work and kids and work and kids and my husband and my kids and work. When I had a chance to fly away on business I was almost salivating. I had been thinking for days I have to get away.  Yes, they are my life, what I live for. But, I had to get away.

And there starts my journey. I had a two hour lunch meeting in San Francisco. With round trip it should have taken me four hours, total. Oh what I would have accomplished in four hours. A flight, a business lunch and a deal! But that four hours turned into 24 hours, and by the time I was on the plane home, the sound of my kids fighting with my husband and themselves before school was like a sweet symphony. My little angels. I couldn’t wait to see the source of so much joy and terror.

Has anyone heard of a ground stop? Well, apparently, the ground at the San Francisco Airport Stopped on my way up. By the time I got to my lunch appointment at the hotel, two hours late, my mascara was smudged all over my face and the restaurant had just closed. I pleaded with the waitress to feed me and shoved food in my mouth as I tried to impress a founding partner in a rather large important to my business firm. Was that charming or disturbing? Only time will tell.

Just as I was about to take him up on offer to drive me to the airport I received a call from the airline that my flight had been delayed until 9:00 p.m.  But, I just wanted to come for lunch. I guess the ground stopped in Los Angeles too. So as we said out goodbyes, without shaking hands of course, you know the swine flu way, I contemplated my options. I was curiously desirous of getting home to my family.

“How about a spa treatment” my husband suggested.  Nope, no spa, it was an airport property and I guess that people who stay at airport hotels and have gone through their own various travel nightmares don’t need massages.  After I go through security I need a massage. Oh well.

Five hours to kill, hummmmmmmmmmmmmmm. After speaking with a lovely young woman who used my triple A discount to lure me, I stayed over- night—without pajamas, or anything else, including a plug for my laptop or cell phone. Now, all I wanted was my annoying children, demanding, yet handsome husband who doubles as a masseuse and my bed.

The next morning after I boarded my on time flight home, I called home. My 9 year old and 6 year old in the background shouting names at each other, my husband shhhhsing them, the dog peeing somewhere in the house, I took a deep breath, sipped my carry on Starbucks, and smiled.  Whether I struck a deal with my intended target or not, which is what I want, I had what I needed and no ground stop would keep me from that.

My kids went back to grammar school today and I am arguably old enough to be a grandmother if I was a naughty or careless twenty year-old.  But, I wasn’t, careless, that is! I chose education and freedom to travel around the world instead of a life of family servitude.

Last night at Target during my last minute rush to get school supplies, it was as if I was at Harrods fighting over the last remaining magenta cashmere sweater. If only I had an umbrella to ward off the woman who thought she could wrestle the last box of number two pencils from my grip. I swear!

What does this have to do with aging? Everything.  Getting older is about passages strung together with pearls of wisdom.  It is like methodically stepping from one paver in a garden to another.   Getting school supplies leads to college applications, which leads to graduations, which results in tears of joy and then comes weddings and children in laws and grandchildren and then, the need for my services.

Maybe some people meander and their path goes around and about, but it always ends in getting older, day by day and year by year. You can’t fight  that off with an umbrella. But, you can be prepared and takes steps to ensure that  you live a carefree, not careless, future.