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matter how self-absorbed I become or how much drool comes out of my mouth, Helen will listen to anything I say with a smile on her face. She is more loyal than ever now because I have Helen on my staff travel benefits, and next week she is coming to Honolulu with me. She has never been to Hawaii before, and it has always been a dream of hers to go. To say that she is excited is an understatement. To say that she is jumping out of her skin would be about right.
    I prattle on about what a fool I made of myself in front of Dean, and Helen says, ‘So, is the hotel far from Waikiki beach?’
    I talk about how difficult it is to maintain a relationship due to my job and Helen asks, ‘What’s the shopping like in Honolulu?’
    I complain about how worn out I feel, and Helen comments, ‘Does the hotel supply beach towels or should I pack one?’
    Yes, I’m being a tad melodramatic in my portrayal of Helen at present. She does actually listen to my problems. She always does, but at the moment she is so excited, and I am just as excited for her. At times I take for granted the lifestyle and opportunities that are available to me, and it takes someone like Helen to show me what I have.
    There are dozens of negative things about my job. Jetlag, fatigue, being away from home for long, missing birthdays and Christmas and parties, as well as being unable to turn up for a niece or nephew’s school play. But for every negative, there are a thousand positives.
    I forget about my problems for the moment and tell Helen about all the fantastic things she can do and see in Honolulu. We will be spending two days there, and although that is not a long time, it is still enough time to see and do a lot. As I have been there many, many times, I know where to go and what to do, so we can get the most out of our stay. I am starting to get excited as well.

is ice-cream a food or a frozen drink?
    Before my Honolulu trip with Helen, I have a trip to Japan. I have been so focused on the Honolulu trip that I have barely given any thought to the land of the rising sun.
    The last time I was in Japan, Dean’s brother Danny was on the trip. What a fantastic time we had. I haven’t been back there since that trip, which was just prior to the 2011 deadly earthquake and tsunami. I was home when it happened (albeit jetlagged) but one of my good flight attendant friends was in Narita at the time. I was glued to the TV and watched with tears streaming down my face as the magnitude of the catastrophe unfolded.
    When you stay in a city or country as many times as I have, you develop a connection with that place. When a disaster the size of what hit Japan occurs, you take it personally. Tokyo and the surrounding areas, including Narita’s shook violently during the earthquake, but Narita being inland and Tokyo being in a protected bay were not directly affected by the tsunamis. Even so, it must have been terrifying for the people who live there.
    My friend was the boss of the crew that had landed in Narita only a few hours before the earthquake. When my friend operated the flight home he had forgotten to do some important onboard paperwork as well as paperwork relevant to his holidays, which would mean he would miss out on his holiday time of choice. He told our company he was so traumatised by the earthquake that he had been unable to function normally at the time. His manager was very sympathetic. Not only was the excuse accepted but there were no ramifications to the overlooked onboard paperwork; he was also given the holiday time of his choice.
    He later told me that when the earthquake hit, he was asleep, thanks to sleeping pills, and slept through the whole thing. He had no idea of the drama unfolding in the country he was staying in until, later in the day, he had turned on the television. It is difficult to find comedy within such a tragedy, but I found this incident hilarious.
    There is always a thought at the back of