I'm trying not to let the old man in, but modern travel makes it difficult

Country singer Toby Keith recorded a song called "Don't Let the Old Man In" that was apparently inspired by Clint Eastwood. The two were playing golf together in a charity event a few years ago when Clint remarked that he was about to turn 88. Toby asked what kept him going, and Clint's reply was "I get up every day and don't let the old man in."

I still have a long way to 88 (or 93, which is Clint Eastwood's current age), but I'm already familiar with the concept of not letting the old man in.

At some point in middle age, it gets very easy to be cranky. For many of my fellow Gen-Xers, surliness and general irritability are a point of pride. They revel in the old man (even the women).

Not me. Or at least, I don't want to be grouchy and disagreeable. The old man still makes unwanted appearances every day, and I have to make an effort to push him back into his corner and maintain a optimistic, cheerful outlook.

At no time does this get tested more than when I have to travel, and specifically when I have to travel for work.

Leisure travel is fun, and generally speaking when I do it, Terry is with me. The travel experience, like everything else in life, is a lot more enjoyable when she is there.

But work travel tends to be a lonely solo venture. For many who travel as a requirement of their jobs, there comes a time when it stops being fun.

For me I think it happened about 10 years ago. I'll still travel as much as the company needs me to, but I don't mind being in a position where I can sometimes go to a person on my team and say, "Hey, how do you feel about going to Milwaukee next week in my place?"

I did recently undertake a business trip to Milwaukee, as a matter of fact, and let me say here it's a very nice town. My problem with travel rarely has anything to do with the destination. It's getting there and getting home.

Compared with many places I've visited, a trip to Milwaukee is a breeze, involving just one flight and a rental car. But my one-hour flight to Chicago was crowded, hot, sweaty and generally uncomfortable. There was turbulence, which normally doesn't bother me but feels 10 times worse when the plane's air conditioning system leaves something to be desired.

Then there's O'Hare Airport, which as airports go is probably not too bad but is still huge and takes time to navigate. Getting to the rental car area feels like I've covered the distance from Cleveland to Chicago all over again.

Then there's the rigmarole of getting the car and driving the 70+ miles to Milwaukee, checking into the hotel, unpacking, etc.

If you're someone who doesn't work a white-collar job, you're reading this and wondering, "Where exactly is the problem?" And you're right. There is no problem there. This is all first-world whining by the old man, and I sometimes have to pull him aside and give him the "hey, it beats real work" lecture.

I didn't think this would be an issue for me at the comparatively tender age of 53, but I guess I'm going to have to spend the rest of my days taming the old man. I find him a lot easier to control when I'm at home than, say, when I'm sitting at the airport gate and my phone tells me the flight is "slightly" delayed and I'll be stuck reading my book and drinking Starbucks for another two hours before we even board.

In those instances, I allow the old man exactly three minutes to quietly seethe, then I order him back into his cage. That's probably more time than he deserves.