12 days

Just tryin' to get things organized now. Today marks the home stretch. Since I graduated, I've been taking care of what amounted to five and a half years of college paperwork and documentation. Now, I can finally breath easy and mark off my days 'til departure.

It's not until you're alone when it finally hits you. By alone, I mean, around people you don't know. That begins at the airport. The security barrier is an entrance into a world beyond that of your own, the one in which you are used to. You say goodbye to your friends and family, the faces you're comfortable with, and then suddenly it's nothing but strangers. The plane ride is too surreal. The airplane is what disconnects you completely. Any strings that were attached are broken once that big ole airliner's wheels are off the ground. Sit back, listen to your music, watch your movie, read your literature, eat extra dry pretzels, order seven orange juices and a tomato juice, determine how new the airsickness bag is so you know if someone has recently thrown up in your seat, take off your shoes, and sleep. The next thing those wheels are going to touch is your destination and there's nothing you can do about it.

Walking down the hall that attaches to the plane when deboarding is the best part of the whole process. I usually end up trying to fight off a smile that comes across my face when I walk into the terminal. People waiting in the gate for their plane to be ready shoot me glances because I'm struggling to hold back this stupid smirk that takes a minute to shake. Then, it's go time.