It struck me recently that many things in life fall into the category of "it crept up on me / us."

The thing that got me thinking about this was a conversation I had with a friend about travel.  We used to enjoy a plane trip, but now I'd do almost anything to avoid one.  Since 9/11 more and more parts of daily life have become harder than they need to be. 

Don't get me wrong: I understand the seriousness of the situation that 9/11 brought sharply in focus. Our nation is now paying for its (our) father knows best attitude toward the rest of the world. At the same time, I think we are over reacting, giving away many freedoms in exchange for perceived security. It has progressed from securing a cockpit and scanning for weapons, and now you need an extra hour just to stand in line while they x-ray your baggage and your shoes. We have given up our "right to privacy" by living with everything from "security" cameras to warrentless wiretaps and turning over library records.

There is a story, the truth of which I can't vouch for, that says if you put a frog into a pan of hot water it will jump out, but if instead you put it into cold water and slowly heat it the frog will stay there and get cooked.  Whether this is true or not, I believe that our pan of water is getting uncomfortably warm but we haven't noticed it.

I don't want to be cooked. How about you?