Nothing Left to do but Wait

In a little over 24 hours, we'll be getting on board the first of many planes, this one to Heathrow, and then on t Beijing. Anything that we haven't done by now isn't going to get done. All that's left now is to say goodbye to family, and to wait for the Earth to make one more spin before we can get finally started.

I'm surprisingly calm (though the same cannot be said for everyone else in the family right now). As a family, we're in the eye of the storm - out of the toddler stage and not yet into the teenage years. This is what makes the timing of the trip so right. And today we're in the eye of another storm. The last few years of talking and months of preparation have been both good and bad, but never calm. The months to come will present their own challenges and rewards. But right now, time has slowed right down in the way that only seems to happen in waiting rooms and departure lounges.

I'm listening to RTE Radio 1, where they're talking about the year that has almost gone, but in my own mind it's already over. When we get on our second flight tomorrow, we'll be heading East, jetting through the time zones, shortening our evening and night by 8 hours, chasing 2008 rather than just waiting for it to come around.