Day 9: Free Wi-Fi, Detours and Good News

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Day 9:  Free Wi-Fi, Detours and Good News

Day 9.  Kansas City International airport rocks.  I am sitting in a plush, black leather armchair at gate 40, hooked up to free wireless service, watching the sunset.  I’m heading from my childhood home back home via Southwest to LAX.    My Dad’s birthday surprise a resounding success, Wi-Fi connection on the farm a breeze through Verizon’s Hotspot, my parents and siblings excited to check out my new venture, I feel content and weepy—the perfect combination.

A young woman wearing a collegiate style sweatshirt, the insignia I can’t quite make out, asks as she walks by, “Is there free Wi-Fi here?” “There is and it’s awesome, “ I tell her as I open my email, finished with reading updates on Facebook.  She takes a seat next to me, pulls out her laptop and plugs in.  “Are you going to Sacramento?” she asks.  “Los Angeles.”  “We’re on the same flight.  We thought we had a direct flight but it turns out we’re stopping in LA first.  We have a three hour drive to our campus.”  She’s rightly bummed.  It’ll be a late night for her.  I get it.  Detours can suck.  They can be necessary.  Or, they can take you places you have no idea you want to go.

Before being dropped off at the airport, I purposely sneak in a detour:  an appointment with my optometrist who just happens to be my airport transporter and my sister.  As she asks me to put my chin on the little white thingy and look through the big metal glasses contraption I realize the entire whirlwind weekend feels like it was an eye exam.  My eyesight has actually gotten a bit worse since my last exam two years ago but I’m leaving with better vision.

Detours

From birth to 20 I was completely and totally defined by my people.  The sun rose and set over my rose-colored glass concept of my family and my childhood.  We had an inseparable bond; we were an undefeatable team; we were the crazy eight.   Then I went to college…in California.  “The liberals got you,” as one of my brothers still likes to say.  I’d joined a cult and drank the Kool-Aid.  Through the years, rebellion and distance ensued and a few butter knives were brandished but we managed to survive. Now, there’s a happy medium between the two extremes.  I became who I became.  I am who I am.  They are who they are.  We all continue to evolve—and live and let live.  There’s peace amongst the tribe.  That is a blessing and a comfort because, although we’ve had a few detours along the way, I still think the sun rises and sets in the unconditional love and support they give me.  They have always inspired me and I can see clearly now that nothing has changed that.

And speaking of detours, after checking my emails through the aforementioned awesomely free Wi-Fi, I open the email I received late last night from my partner with the subject, “just met with Dan.”  Dan is the ridiculously talented editor I mentioned back on Day 3.  Rereading it I flush with excitement again. It says, “He’s got the second set of drives, project and script files.  We will send him updated bins and scripts as we go along.  He is going to set up some interns this week but realistically we won’t really be editing until next week.”  Dan the amazing editor man is officially on board!  And that means we are back on track to finally finish our documentary opus after an almost four year detour.  Hallelujah.

Until tomorrow, create from what you have…even during a detour.

Kelli Joan Bennett is a filmmaker, actress, writer, entrepreneur, advocate for creative thinking and Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Think Outside The Box Inside The Box Media.

3 Comments

  1. Welcome home and hooray for editors and family and sunsets…and Wi-Fi.

  2. Your whole visit was a wonderful detour for us and we loved it!

  3. Detours can be gold!

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