It’s 6 a.m. and I’ve been at Logan for a half an hour, my luggage carefully weighed and measured. (A note to fellow travelers: While America’s beefy, Texas-toast style aircraft allow for a 40 lbs carry-on, Japan’s dainty planes allow for only 22 lbs. I’ll ship the difference, at additional cost).

My flight is a 16-hour long marathon from Boston to Newark, NJ (Why not?) and then a straight shot to Narita International Airport in Tokyo, where it will be a 2 hour flight.

If you’re afraid of flying, as I am, the best tactic – that is, the tactic that I have used – is the same tactic I use for fighting the onset of sadness. If a flight – or the time you face away from home – is ever overwhelming, let it be overwhelming when it is overwhelming.

Don’t anticipate fear, or sadness. It will come anyway, and there is no use in worrying in between. And when it does come, let it come, let it wash over you, let it run its course, and then go.