Time Going Backwards

3:45 PM

We’re not flying very high — about 1,830 meters. I see ice through the window and briefly think it’s Greenland, and soon after we’ll be crossing into Canada.

Back home in the Netherlands it’s 11:30 PM. It’s oddly amusing: when I try to update the blog, time moves backward. I have to manually reorder the posts, otherwise nothing makes sense anymore. So which time are you supposed to use? 🤔

My watch and phone are completely out of sync, each showing a different time and jumping around. Luckily, before leaving the Netherlands I set up two widgets: one with Dutch time and one with Seattle time. I know I’m supposed to land at 5:00 PM, so by comparing the two I can roughly estimate where I am.

I’m not entirely convinced this actually makes me younger 🫨. This whole time-travel thing hits harder than expected. I feel worn out, folded in on myself, and confused. Two more hours to go 😒

4:10 PM

One more time zone to go.

I’m handed a warm Italian tomato-and-cheese sandwich. I don’t really feel like eating it — it feels as if I’ve just had a meal.

And then suddenly things move fast. At 4:30 PM we’re told to tidy everything up and prepare for landing. There’s quite a bit of turbulence, but the landing itself is smooth and steady.

I just follow the crowd — that way I don’t have to think for myself. I take an underground train to reach baggage claim. I’m bracing for a long wait at customs, preparing myself for standing in line for an hour.

I look for my backpack and… 🤔 I’m outside. Huh? Did I miss something? 😬

I decide to look for a taxi — and there’s one waiting already. Half an hour later it speeds me up to Lynnwood, just north of Seattle, and by 6:00 PM I’m lying on my bed, typing this.