Yesterday was my scheduled departure date for a two-week planning trip for a May/June 2007 Drew International Semester to Beijing, Xi’an, and Dunhuang. Boarding pass in hand, I arrived at gate C123 for the nonstop flight to Beijing. The flight was oversold, perhaps because it would arrive in China on a lucky day, 8/8, and the gate agent called for volunteers to take the next day’s flight. I don’t pretend to believe in fate, but I couldn’t help feeling some validation of the ambivalence I’d had about the timing of this trip, and I volunteered. Continental needed my seat, and I collected a boarding pass for today’s flight, two $350 travel vouchers, a taxi voucher to get home, and another day to consider postponing my trip.

I cancelled my itinerary last night, and I’ll make new plans to go in December or January. This month, I’ll spend a week in Phoenix with my mom instead of two weeks in China away from her. Dad died in June, and spending time with mom (and dad’s spirit) can’t wait until winter as easily as the trip to China can.