Hard as it may sometimes be to admit, we crave the routine, the known and the customary. This time is not that.

Business travel demands had me back on the road, almost immediately in the aftermath of 9/11. I got back on jets as I had been spending 3-5 days a week at that point for a few years.

Dozens of thousands of Georgians and millions of Americans spent the weekend heading home from various destinations, adventures and vacations from Spring Break. In addition to some surprise screening procedures at dozens of U.S. airports, they are returning home to a vastly new normal.

It is longtime considered conventional wisdom, particularly during election years, that the Republican Party would like to throw Grandma from the train, cut all social services and safety net spending to the quick, and give out only tax cuts to the rich and well-off.

Not long ago in a galaxy not so far away, I was awaiting my flight out of a small coastal airport, having a long phone call with an anxious and agitated client, a talented and skilled hospitality executive in Manhattan. She was wrestling with an evolving situation, at one of New York City and Times Square's then largest hotels, at near sold-out capacity.