Walking into the airport this morning I was flooded by a
sense of freedom and overwhelming joy.
***
Traveling was a big part of my family’s life so it’s natural
to now be reminded of these times when traveling on my own. I can’t help but marvel
at how nothing has changed except for my perspective.
When I think back to traveling with my family, several very
clear pictures pop into my head. Without fail, I was the last one getting in
the already running car, blankets trailing behind me, carrying several stuffed
animals, slightly oblivious to the fact that there was a schedule to be kept
and that the people in the car were more than annoyed with me. Always carefree
and not too concerned with the task at hand, preferring a slower pace of life
where there’s always time for one more hug. And my dad – on the opposite end of
the spectrum - insistent on being at the airport several hours early only to
then sprint to the gate despite being comically early. Remembering our times in
the airport makes me laugh. Imagine a family of five sprinting through airports
led by an Italian man on a mission, followed by two of his equally
mission-driven daughters and farrrrr behind a little girl dropping different
stuffed animals every few steps with a frustrated mother pulling the little
girl’s hand in attempt to keep the family together and be sure the youngest
wasn’t lost. It’s kind of ridiculous. Along the way I’ve come to find that it
doesn’t matter how fast we go or how urgent we make a situation seem, it doesn’t
make much difference to the end result. What will be affected is your state of
mind and your relationships. Noticing this has all but eliminated ‘being
stressed out’ from my daily experience. Life is much more enjoyable.
***
My morning thus far has been perfect. Despite having a 4:45am
leave time, I didn’t finish packing until 4:40am (this gave me a good 5 minutes
of goodbye cuddles with my cats!). I called a cab 20 minutes before I needed to
leave. I meandered into the airport only to be pulled to the side by security and
frisked for explosives and anything else that could be on my body to pose
danger to the plane. The whole time I chatted away and laughed knowing full
well the flight had already boarded. Post-frisk
I stayed true to my Austin airport ritual and stopped to grab a couple of
breakfast tacos. I was the last person to board and it was just fine! My tacos
and I found ourselves next to a nice man and spent most of the 4 hour flight
talking about life, passion, drive, and the fragility of building a life based
on possessions. Now given precious time from a layover, I’ve found myself
cuddled up in a booth, far away from my gate musing and spending time to write
about my experiences. These are the things I’d like to remember so I write
about them. These sweet little moments are lost when I’m stressed about getting
everywhere in a hurry. I spent years following the stress blueprint that many
of us do and it’s so much more fun to enjoy everything! And because I contained
myself for so long, these are the moments of pure enjoyment and exhilaration –
connecting with people – strangers and the people I love, recognizing the shift
in how I view every day occurrences, being spontaneous, knowing I used to ache to go out and experience life but
was too dependent on the people around me to do anything I really wanted. This pure happiness is directly related to the
deep gratitude I feel for these wonderful moments and connections. It just
feels dang good to get out there, be yourself, and do whatever the heck you
want.
So, here we go solo vacation #2! Time to meander, take my
time, get “lost”, and maybe drop a few things along the way.
No comments:
Post a Comment