Song of the Road Warrior
“Still over an hour out. Last of the scotch on the tray before me. Head drooping. Crowded by the neighbour, rather portly [and talkative] lady. Delayed an hour and a half out of Chicago after running between terminals to sit on an inert plane. Missed the one chance at a between rides dinner. On the RJet which is always a tight space so no room to open laptop really. Even the ipad is tight. At least they have gate check so I don’t have to jam the roller into an overhead.
Rough audience today. And a little outside the core customer – as a large corp, they won’t be buying any more after this. So a bit of kissing your sister, a reasonable day fee, but no prospects or followup. And no direct flight either coming or going.
Rumpled but always this way by Friday. You can’t pack enough of these travel ready suits to look sharp every day. Have to make up for it with a snazzy shirt!”
**
“Hurtling along. Well, not really. Wish I was! It’s a White knuckler. It always happens in winter, doesn’t it? One way is good, the other a heart stopper. Rolling [slowly] along highway 2, the snow swimming to and fro in the headlights. Good tunes on the radio, though, as I ride the wire back. By “wire” I mean the dicey nature of the road surface. Touch the brakes at an edgy 80 km and the ABM chudders. A hair away from a slide into the ditch.
Trying to outrun the storm. At least the session ended just after 3 so I could get away, but traffic crawled on the way out of town in the gathering storm. Not quite a true blizzard, but a “snow event”, enough to take Friday traffic and knot it up good.
Chomping at the bit to get up to speed.
Talking to a comrade in arms on the cell. He’s in the south – going north. I’m coming out of it, heading south. He’s on a secondary parallel highway, so it occurred to me after he texted that I should warn him what he was heading into. Like “Stop: Anywhere”. As if I would take my own advice!
Warm though as I try to reach through the goo to the edge of the snow line, probably as always, just south of Red Deer.
Got a solid new order – just before month end.
For now, just holding onto hope that nobody in the endless line gets too jacked about trying to pass everybody and spins out, taking a few with him. Thinking about little Ryan – had hopes of seeing him before he slept. But with the slow going, that’s gone now.
Well, tomorrow’s Saturday. We’ll have a good time wrestling on the rug then. ”
The skies and highways are full of these stories, the unsung heroes of the economy – bringing deeper learning, and technical sales and products to you and your enterprise.
If you employ them, this is their life. If you meet them, this is how they got there or how they’ll depart.
It’s a difficult life path. Fragmented lives. Fractured opportunity to participate in community / home life because they’re gone. Neither here nor, really, there.
Bringing what can’t happen virtually. If it could, believe me, they wouldn’t be travelling!!
Sincerely,
Doug Bouey
Catalyst Strategic Consultants Ltd.
Leave a Reply