That expression, 'if the creek don't rise' is often used as a cute way of hoping that one's plans work out the way they're supposed to. It's a hearkening back to a simpler time, and gives lip service to the idea that we can only control so much and then the rest of it is out of our hands. Another version of that sentiment is the Spanish expression, 'El hombre propone y Dios dispone' (Man proposes and God disposes).
In the case of tomorrow's travel itinerary, it's more than just a phrase, and in this case, the 'creek' is a vast inundation of water, from the worst flooding in 50 years across SE Asia. Bangkok has been particularly hard-hit, with major disruptions, flooding, infighting, shortages, and suffering. Until now, the Suvarnabhumi International Airport has been spared and is in full operation, but there is some question about how long that will continue. The water is overwhelming the canal system that supposedly deals with it, and choices have to be made. I'm hoping that keeping the airport dry is choice number one, because they desperately need the tourism dollars that pump mountains of money into the country.
I've been reading the Bangkok Post about demonstrations, thousands of people gathering to demand that certain gates be opened wider because their neighborhoods are being flooded. But of course each choice triggers wet ramifications in other areas, and according to the paper, it's been extremely chaotic, with different agencies pushing for different agendas. And the waters continue to rise.
That's the backdrop for my final day in Oregon, a wet, cold Saturday, one of those days that the Saturday Market vendors dread, with few customers and long cold hours in the elements. In other words, another November in Eugene, OR. So in addition to the normal jitters of disengaging from western reality, comes the very real possibility of serious disruption on the other end. Feels like a bit of a crap shoot, but once I'm in the air, there's no real exit strategy other than 'hoping for the best'.
And I guess that's as good a philosophy as any to describe my 'preparation' (he said sarcastically) for this sojourn. There is a certain amount of dumb faith that I seem to possess, faith that it will be OK, that I'll know what to do regardless, that 'wherever you go, there you are' (which was the philosophy of the People's Guide to Mexico) which I read as a 20 year old, bombing around that country. If I'm a 'believer' as my name indicates, these are the times when I believe in the process, or 'let go, let God' as the AA folks like to say in their meetings. Maybe that's one of the advantages of my 'less than hands-on' relationship to planning and other left brain thinking. Me, I go with the flow, and hope that the flow doesn't overrun the airport, say. And if it does, let's hope the good folks at Korea Airlines have some kind of contingency for diverting the flight rather than dropping us into the canals full of crocodiles. (and no, I'm not being prosaic.... there's critters in them thar floods).
