The wood between the worlds...

For those of you who have read C.S. Lewis's book titled the Magicians Nephew, you will understand the title. For those of you who haven't, I'll give a little explanation: In his book, the woods between the worlds is a place between our worlds and other worlds (Narnia being one of them) It's almost like a non-place. As I sit here in the Dallas Fort Worth airport, I feel like I'm in the wood between the worlds.

I suppose a lot of airports would feel like this, but this one in particular does. Because I got off a flight filled with Australians, to a place filled with American's, but Dallas isn't my final destination, so it just feels like this sort of in-between place. Because I associate America with certain people (my family, and friends from the States) it doesn't really feel like I'm in America. Yes, if I listen closely to the chatter I can hear that most of the people are speaking in American accents. Yes, if I look around I can see places like chic-fil-a, TGI Fridays, Auntie Annies. Yes, I see that people pull out paper bills to pay for things, and anywhere the date is written it is written in the month, day, year format. But despite all of those things, it still doesn't quite feel like America. It feels more like this in-between place. This place, that maybe doesn't really exist, in my world of Australia, or my world of America. It's just a sort of in-between.

Even though I know that this is only an in-between place I still find myself scanning the crowds as I walk through the airport, hoping that I might see a face that I know, I keep trying to listen for Australian accents, because maybe there will be someone I recognise.  And as I wait here in the airport, I'll eat some Chic-fil-a I try to convince myself that I really am in America. But it's not the country that I look forward to being in, it's the people that I look forward to seeing, so for now, here in Dallas, I'll sit and wait, walk far in wide in this place that feels quite familiar (living here for 24 hours once helps that). And I'll wait for that next flight that will take me to Indianapolis, a place where family will be waiting. and a place that will finally feel like America.