Will my alarm go off? Did I remember my pills, my phone charger? How early does one get to the airport, and what is the traffic pattern on the way? What if I get in an accident? Aaaack!
Do I check my bag or try to stuff that sucker in an overhead bin? How heavy is it anyway, 'cause I'm no spring chicken. How long are the security check lines? Why did that alarm go off? Oh no, did I forget to take my cute little Swiss Army Knife out of my jeans pocket? Damn! I LOVE that knife.
Will the plane actually leave on time, or at all? Will we make our connection? Should I buy a Bloody Mary to calm myself down? Is the lounge even open at 8 a.m.? Do I have time to go to the bathroom? Why are bathroom lines so long?
What zone am I in and does that mean I'll board last? Will there be overhead space left by the time I board? Why am I the only one who can't figure out the in-flight wifi? Should I buy snacks from the flight attendant even though I'm not hungry? Will the proper lady sitting next to me judge me harshly if I order that Bloody Mary NOW?
When the plane lands and the seat belt sign goes off, do I jump up and try to wrestle my carry-on bag out of the bin, hoping against hope that I still have enough upper body strength to guide it smoothly to the aisle floor? Or should I sit patiently like the proper lady next to me, trusting people on the other side of the aisle to let me out?
I could go on and on, but I'll stop here to give you a break. Nope, I don't trust the world. Some people assume everything will go right. I assume the opposite. If I travel with others, I often get on their nerves. Surprised? Oh well, at this point I probably won't change. I am more likely to roll with the punches than go with the flow. Taking a deep breathe now and letting it all go. Ha! As if.
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| I am happy to be home where chaos can be a good thing. |
I could write this post. (am i making the same English mistakes as i do all the time? should i write something smarter? how shallow people think i am because of my pooenglis comments?and on and on.)
ReplyDeleteYael, now I like you even better. Your English is just fine in my book, especially for your American audience. We don't care that much about proper English. Ha! It is more important to hear what people have to say, especially if they are from some place else. I won't judge you for your English mistakes if you don't judge me for mine!
DeleteAnd spelling is often different for American English than for those who learned the Queen's English. Example traveling (American), travelling (British). Whatever you use will likely be right in one country or another. :)
DeleteTell Yael we love her and she is not to keep her remarks to herself. So there.
DeleteYael, you heard Joanne!
DeleteThat basically covers it for me, too. And I used to be a very cool traveller when young and with a toddler in places with strange languages and customs. I mean I could actually fall asleep on planes and boats and trains AND wake up in time. What happened??? Is it a hormone thing?
ReplyDeleteHmmm, good question. In fact, traveling does seem to get more worrisome as I age. Losing physical strength is part of it. A lifetime of bad travel experiences is another. Flying through Philadelphia to make connections time and time again is another factor. I now avoid Philly like the plague.
DeleteI love reading this! You remind me why I have only been on an airplane once in 25 years. I get nauseous just thinking about being on an airplane. You are very brave for going. Does the bloody mary help?
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, there's the nausea factor, too. I inevitably forget to take the dramamine until I'm already in the air and can't move for fear of throwing up. Uh...a bloody mary always helps. If I'm nauseous there's always sprite and Jack Daniels.
DeleteI just go with the flow. Worry is a wasteful emotion. If you worry and everything comes out okay you worried for nothing. If you worry and things don't come out okay you have to seal with it then. Which you would have to do anyway. That does not mean to not be cautious when necessary but then go for it.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could be that way, too. I really do.
DeleteI do similar things but not necessarily travel. I often feel a bit like an alien.
ReplyDeleteIt would be lovely if each trip you took got a bit easier. Never stop traveling though, no matter what💜
I won't!
DeleteI will never forgive TSA for making me put my wonderful Switch Army Knife in a drawer. After fifteen years of looking at it, I gave it to my grandson to add to his kit.
ReplyDeleteThey are so cute, and I like the scissors.
DeleteLove this post! When people say 'I love to travel', I always wonder 'which bit?'. I am lucky to be able to travel a lot so I'm not REALLY complaining. Totally identify though...
ReplyDeleteI can only travel with my husband. The anxiety I go through is exhausting and I have to take several breaks. I also have to go back to the hotel room every few hours because I get completely overwhelmed. It's easier to just stay at home.
ReplyDeleteIt is actually easier and less stressful for me to travel alone so I don't have to also worry about annoying people I'm traveling with. You are lucky to have an understanding husband.
DeleteIf I felt this way I think I'd just stay home. As Emma said above, worry is a waste of time. If all goes well you've died a thousand deaths over the what-ifs, and, if it doesn't, you have to accept and deal with it anyway! Which is all good in theory....I do get in a bit of a dither when I'm planning a trip. The further away the destination the bigger the dither...But I'm much calmer about it all now than when I had the added complications of children and pets.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're not letting it keep you imprisoned in Florida 'cause, come summer, we need to get out!
Thanks Molly. I do my best. As do we all.
DeleteAnd this is why god created valium : )
ReplyDeleteHahaha!
DeleteI can relate, tho' Traveling on Land doesn't bother me at all... by Air I have to hit the Bar before the flight to take the edge off, and I don't even drink usually, except mebbe on New Year's Eve... but it takes that to get me on the plane without freaking out. On our Trip to Hawaii it was about 8am and I had to be given a Cocktail in the Airport... a sedative would have helped too... I didn't enjoy any of the flight. I have always wanted to go on a Cruise but actually I'm not so sure how I'd be on a boat, water scares me when it's vast and has things that can eat you living in it. Perhaps that is part of the flying fear, when they show you all the Life Saving devices for if the plane goes down... I don't need to be reminded of what could go wrong and how I'd have to recall all they're teaching me in a 15 minute instruction during a time I'd be in full Panic! *LOL* Dawn... The Bohemian
ReplyDeleteFlying over large bodies of water is the worst.
DeleteI am somewhere in between. I think. :-)
ReplyDeleteOddly, I don't actually mind being in the air, it is the build up/worry to traveling that sets me off.
Delete