So, my travel
is now safely behind me. How did it go? Well, a bit different this time and
that has everything to do with my resolve to learn how to live with this and
accept it as a part of me. Last time, I wrote “I also need to learn how to
work with it, instead of against it, and maybe, who knows , I can turn it into
an asset instead of an impediment.” I can tell you now that The Universe has
been so kind to –almost immediately- on this trip supply me with some material
to work with.
This has not been a standard trip, which turns out to be all uneventful after all the fuss I have been making up beforehand. This time I had to battle an impending flu attack, a small yet bloody accident and an issue with my return flight.
This has not been a standard trip, which turns out to be all uneventful after all the fuss I have been making up beforehand. This time I had to battle an impending flu attack, a small yet bloody accident and an issue with my return flight.
I was
beginning to feel the start of a nasty cold while waiting to board my outgoing
flight: sore throat, congested nose, the usual. As it is currently the flu
season, not something you want to bring with you on a business trip! In the
upcoming days that at times made me feel quite miserable, especially when alone
in your hotel room with plenty of time to feel sorry for yourself.
Then on the
first morning, I wanted to shave myself with a razor that apparently was not
mounted correctly, which caused a nasty and quite bloody cut on my face. Panic!
I had to sort of dress myself all the while holding a tissue to my face to
quench the bleeding and go down to Reception to ask for a band aid. It turned
out the bleeding had stopped by itself but I went into our meetings looking like
I had had a bit of a fight on my way in.
Then, on my way back as was confronted with a quite long delay of my return flight, due to fog at my destination airport, as I learned later. As I was still feeling quite miserable from that cold/flu/whatever it is, sitting at a busy airport for an at that time unknown extra couple of hours was not really what I was looking forward to. So, after phoning home to tell the bad news, I started to look for a solution, which almost immediately presented itself. Almost right in front of me I saw a sign of a flight by a different airliner to Amsterdam half an hour before my own scheduled time. “It would not hurt to see if there is a place for me on that one”, I thought.
Then, on my way back as was confronted with a quite long delay of my return flight, due to fog at my destination airport, as I learned later. As I was still feeling quite miserable from that cold/flu/whatever it is, sitting at a busy airport for an at that time unknown extra couple of hours was not really what I was looking forward to. So, after phoning home to tell the bad news, I started to look for a solution, which almost immediately presented itself. Almost right in front of me I saw a sign of a flight by a different airliner to Amsterdam half an hour before my own scheduled time. “It would not hurt to see if there is a place for me on that one”, I thought.
It turned out, there was, and after buying a ticket for it I arrived
home half an hour earlier than by my official itinerary. It was also quite a
nice flight, not quite a full plane and with an a la carte menu which offered a
delicious slice of pizza (that's another thing! I often cannot eat the food that is served due to allergies. This airliner offers a choice , though you have to pay a bit for it). I will
remember that airliner for my next trips!
The good thing of all this is that, given my resolution to ‘work with my anxiety’, I refuse to turn these ‘crises’ into traumas but, instead, use them as learning tools how to deal with issues. The greatest thing I learned is that I can handle these things when they occur and, though being sick on a trip is unpleasant, it is not the end of the world and there are still ways to make it worthwhile. For instance, taught me to pack some extra things like cold medicine and band aids and, even better, to find out beforehand where you can buy such things at your destination.
The most important lesson, however, came when I managed to change my itinerary to a more suitable one. The feeling of exhilaration that I actually used the system to suit my own needs and that I do not have to be a slave of it is something I will cherish and something that restored me into my own power to take charge of what’s happening to me. I personally think that is the most important and best thing that happened to me during this trip.
So, here are some valuable things to carry forward to my next trip! And I honestly hope that I will not have to write any more depressing blogs about this issue. I’ll do my best…
The good thing of all this is that, given my resolution to ‘work with my anxiety’, I refuse to turn these ‘crises’ into traumas but, instead, use them as learning tools how to deal with issues. The greatest thing I learned is that I can handle these things when they occur and, though being sick on a trip is unpleasant, it is not the end of the world and there are still ways to make it worthwhile. For instance, taught me to pack some extra things like cold medicine and band aids and, even better, to find out beforehand where you can buy such things at your destination.
The most important lesson, however, came when I managed to change my itinerary to a more suitable one. The feeling of exhilaration that I actually used the system to suit my own needs and that I do not have to be a slave of it is something I will cherish and something that restored me into my own power to take charge of what’s happening to me. I personally think that is the most important and best thing that happened to me during this trip.
So, here are some valuable things to carry forward to my next trip! And I honestly hope that I will not have to write any more depressing blogs about this issue. I’ll do my best…
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