Feeling Secure

I'm traveling this week--hubby needed to do some computer consulting out of state, and I said "let me pack a bag!" That's one of the great things about being a writer--Have Laptop Will Travel. It's a matter of a few seconds to transfer The Healer's Heart manuscript onto a flashdrive (I'm still astounded by those), charge up the laptop batteries, print out our boarding passes--throw some of my travel knits into a bag, water the plants, drop the dog off at the "pet resort," and we're off. New cities, new restaurants . . . fresh towels every morning . . . ah, the open road. Everything went without a hitch until I set off the airport security alarms . . . twice. Birthday watch and bracelet. Bling is highly suspect, it appears. So I got "wanded" and patted down (much to hubby's extreme amusement) and was naturally wearing my adorable jean skirt with at least three decorative metal zippers. So, double pat, double wand--"stand with your right foot out . . . your left foot out, your right arm out, your left arm out . . . " It was all I could do not to start singing the "Hokey Pokey"! Actually, the TSA woman was very polite and gentle and--hey--it's blog material, right?

So right now hubby is off to be Techno Superman, I'm settling in with a cup of coffee and doing some re-reading of The Healer's Heart, beginning at Chapter One. Outside my hotel window there are city sounds; so different from the stillness of my office in Texas. But change is invigorating. That's why I love travel--great new opportunities for people watching, new sunsets for my "collection," hustle, bustle and the quirky camaraderie to be found among travelers. Plus those opportunities to sculpt your biceps by trundling suitcases around, eat airline peanuts . . . get patted down. And it all gets cubbied into a writer's brain--trust me on that. References, to be recalled at some future time . . .

And when I write that airport security scene in some future novel, I'll add a few more zippers to my heroine's skirt, along with a cute mettallic toenail charm . . . and she WILL begin to nervously hum the Hokey Pokey . . . to a security person who has absolutely NO sense of humor, and . . . oh dear, what have I done?

Have I mentioned that I LOVE this job?

Back to reading The Healer's Heart. I really think you're going to enjoy this one, folks.