You're crazy!

Some people wonder how I can do this.  What's going through my head during one of these trips?  A-lot!  Mostly all I can do is concentrate on what's in front of me at the moment.  Anything more would drive me crazy.  Right now I've got 15 different directions I've got to run in because I fly out tomorrow afternoon.  In the midst of this I think I know what my priorities are and so I'm here, thinking about this with dozens of obligations lurking at the back of my mind. 

For you gear heads out there looking at this one of the things in the back of my mind is the sound board that I found out yesterday I'm going to be using for the tour, the Presonus 24.4.2.  I haven't used this soundboard yet and if I were the type to get anxious this would be a source of stress.  However God's blessed me with the ability to figure things out and roll with it when it comes to production gear.  So I'll be busy when I can get my hands on that board, but it's a fun kind of busy.

I'm also thinking about all the stuff I'm supposed to get in the mail today.  Anyone planning on going overseas regularly should be comfortable with being a "mule."  In the past week I've gotten numerous e-mails from people I'll be seeing when I get there.  They've all got different things that are easier or cheaper to get in the US that they want me to bring over.  The last trip I took the precious cargo was peanut butter.  (FYI the TSA won't let you put peanut butter in your carry-on.)  I really enjoy this part of the trip because when I see that person for the first time it's like Christmas morning and they paid for it.

Then there's packing, but I don't want to think about that right now.

The last thing that I want to mention here that I have on my mind is the biggest thing; friends and family.  Any interactions I have now are the last impression these people will have of me for quite a while.  This isn't easy for me to be mindful of.  I tend to get distracted by the stuff I need to do.  The bottom line is I'm leaving my family while I go almost half-way around the world.  It doesn't matter how often I go, that's never an easy thing to do.  I have a strong wife, good friends and a large church family that I know will be looking out for my kids.  When things slow down on the tour enough for my mind to stop racing, this is where my mind goes.

I really couldn't deal with all this myself.  If I weren't "on a mission from God"  I would be a complete mess right now.  It's only because I know I am God's and that He will care for me and my family that I can do this.