Sometimes when I travel I am reminded how vulnerable we are. It might be that I watch too much Criminal Minds, or Bones for that matter, but if nothing else, it reminds me to be vigilant when traveling.
I was recently flying into a Midwest City and arrived quite late at night. There were no cabs at the airport but there was a car service available. My destination was about 30 miles away. As I waited for the driver, I started to feel anxious. When the driver lumbered up to me, my anxiety was reaching paranoia. This guy was huge, and he barely spoke. I got into the car, and as I asked questions about my destination and how he would get there, he seemed barely able to put two words together.
It occurred to me while driving down this dark interstate that I was going on a different road than I had before. This was troublesome. That's when the whole vulnerability thing hit. I asked him why we were on this road, and he told me it was a "different way to go". I started texting friends. I checked in on Facebook. I tweeted about the highway. And finally I decided to call my husband and wake him up, to let him know where I was - I needed some clues for the Bones doctor and the FBI to find me!
When I saw the exit for my city and saw the Marriott sign rising up in the mist, I let my husband go back to sleep. As we rolled in, and the driver got out of the car and picked my suitcase up with one finger, he said "we made good time. i hope you have a wonderful stay", and handed me his card in case i needed a ride back to the airport. Huh. I was spared, after putting blind faith in our transportation systems once more.
But I will still be trying to figure out how to leave breadcrumbs, so someone will be able to find me. Even electronic ones :)