Because it is almost midnight and I’m on the cusp of being “in transit,” I’ve decided life, more specifically my future life of tomorrow, is like a honey bran muffin.

Let me tell you my story:

In order to be on time for my flight to LAX tomorrow, I drove down from my perch in the northern reach of LA to a more sourtherly neighborhood where a friend had agreed to put me up for the night. Like any good traveler, I packed before I left, and did a 101 other things, giving me just enough time to get down to that southerly region at 10 PM. I was hungry. I had eaten only what was left in my fridge–a fridge I had not stocked in anticipation of being in transit for more than a week. So friend(s) and I went to Manhatten Beach, one of the beach-y communities of LA, family friendly by day and trendy by night, to eat at the 24-hour Kettle.

The Kettle is a longtime institution. It serves the community, the college students, and other Californian folk. They offer breakfast all day and dinner only at night. Friends and I arrived, we impressed the staff with the fact that we were hungry. I ordered an omelette and a muffin, and then our wait commenced.

Oh my muffin! So long did I wait for it! I watched and gazed at servers, hoping they would realize that I wanted my muffin now! Rather than later! I watched them go behind the counter, up to the food window under the heat lamps, chat with the chefs, take plates of burgers and fries and salads and other yummy stuff away, but never go to get my muffin!

Such pain! Such patience! Such fortitude to be asked to call upon at a late hour after a long day on an empty stomach!

And this is when I realized that it was all like traveling. Tomorrow, I would go to LAX. I would sit and wait. Read and wait. Fly and wait. And be and wait. And then! After an eternity of gates and passes and obstacles and security and waitresses who don’t bring you your muffins– there would be an end and satisfaction. ;-)