My trip to Austin, Texas

I don’t travel well. Some of this is due to my height. Most people don’t realize it, but at 6’8” I’m taller than most. It is something I don’t talk about very often because I don’t like to burden my friends. But, when traveling, it becomes a real liability. Showerheads are too low, beds are too short, and every conversation begins with, “Mark Wright…6’8”…no, I don’t play basketball.” I’ve considered changing my name to Kevin Garnett and pretending I retired, lost 40 pounds, and turned white.

And, of course, there is the plane. The distance between my seat and the one in front of it is shorter than Caleb’s attention span, so I am constantly kicking the seat in front of me…and the seat in front of that…and the seat in front of that. The result is that the guy in front of me thinks I’m a jerk, the lady in front of him thinks I’m a pervert, and the guy in front of her thinks he’s found his new, special friend.

This is all fine. If nothing else, it gives me rich meat to blog about. No, the primary reason I don’t travel well is because I have to leave Neesha and Caleb behind. Some people I know call it being a home-body. Others call it being a dedicated family man. I call it being selfish. There are few whose company I enjoy as much as my family’s and I don’t like being away from them. When I was packing, Caleb thought it was great fun to climb into my suitcase and close the lid. Unpacking in Austin, I found myself hoping that, by some chance, he’d poke his head, up with all of his hair (more to come on that), and give his typical, “Oh, hi Daddy.”

On my lap is a stuffed bear. I bought it for Caleb when I first arrived in Texas, and I’ve kept it with me since. Together, we’ve gone to meetings, listened to sales proposals, set short- and long-term strategies, reset those same strategies, enjoyed traditional Southern BBQ and breakfasts, discovered a fantastic seafood restaurant, walked the streets of Austin, sipped Dr. Pepper from wine glasses, and battled motion sickness on the plane. It’s a fun way to carry my family with me when they aren’t around, but I still miss the real thing.

So, here’s to beautiful wives and little boys. May God bless them.

mw