Remember when you were a kid and you just couldn’t wait to go to the airport and prepare to fly on a big jet airplane?

Traveling was fun in those days, correct? Not any more.

Hey, I’m whippin’ a dead horse with that one, but it needs a little wallop once again.

I just returned from a four-day trip to Portland, Ore., to bid my sister a heartfelt farewell. Getting there and back, though, was no picnic.

Transportation Safety Administration personnel always seem to ensure that our next flying adventure will be one for the books. To be fair, this one doesn’t qualify as an epic experience. My departure from Dallas/Fort Worth airport was relatively hassle free. I didn’t have to remove my shoes and place my laptop in a separate basket for screening. I breezed on through.

Coming home last night was a bit different as I departed Portland’s airport. TSA staffers were barking orders and, frankly, giving this old guy a bit of anxiety trying to get through the maze and lie ahead.

But I got through.

I say all this merely to remind us of the havoc those fu**ing terrorists created on 9/11.

We won’t ever return to the good old days when flying was fun.  Stlll, I kind of like longing for a moment when I can relive the joy I used to feel when I got ready to get on that big bird and fly away.