In Frankfurt, standing in the flight boarding que. Some Americans in the business-class line are speaking the first familiar English I've heard in a while, and they are randomly complaining about travel as if it is a competition for the most esoteric offense. I ignored them — with an eleven hour flight ahead, I'm focused on sleep because I don't want to start with all that negative energy, and this seat is uncomfortable.

Daily writing has been part of my practice for over three years. Since the fatigue of being awake for twenty hours set in quickly after finding my seat, that habit is the only reason I wrote this note. Otherwise, I would have forgotten those men and fallen asleep. At least those whiners were thought provoking. Do they do not realize the irony of their petty complaints, or are they too selfish to care? Either way, their familiar thoughts prompt me to contemplate the person I was, and are a reason to keep improving.