Traveling for the first time all over again
This weekend was spent away on work for the first time since Mark died. It's been two months, and the decision to travel came down to two things: 1) At some point, I'd have to get on a plane again. The longer I put it off, the harder it was going to be; and (pragmatically); 2) we already had one contractor on this project, we would have to find another qualified contractor which would not be easy.
I decided to bite the bullet and see how it would go.
Friday my co-worker Jill flew to Seattle from NY instead of going home so that she could meet me at Sea-Tac to be with me. I very much appreciate her kindness. My friends M + J drove up from Portland to dogsit Kai. They dropped me off and Jill met me outside the airport. It was very hard. My stomach was a mess and I feared I was going to throw up. Jill bought me some water and mint gum and we sat and chatted for awhile to let my stomach calm down.
Once we boarded, Jill held my hand and kept up over and hour of inconsequential chatter about the project, her son, growing up in Idaho, and a wealthy of miscellany I can't begin to recall. The entire purpose was to keep my mind occupied, and it worked!
So I didn't throw up. I didn't melt into a puddle.
We then met up with the rest of the group and drove from Boise to Twin Falls. After some initial rental car kerfuffle (did you know that an Escalada can seat 6 people, but only take baggage for two and a half? How stupid is that?) we were on the road. Everyone was very kind.
At Twin Falls Laura had promised that we would take a walk. Which turned out more grueling than intended -- a three mile walk up and around the Snake River canyon rim and back down. In 80+ sunshine.
The canyon is impressive, and while Shoshone Falls are lovely, their moniker of "The Niagara Falls of the West" had to be developed by someone who has never been to Niagara Falls.
We decided we had to walk out to the end of the path, which is the earthwork where Evel Knievel made his attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon. The earthwork for the ramp he had built is still there, and makes the location obvious. The second photo is the view across, and it occurred to me that while I may personally think Evel nuts for what he wanted to do, on the other hand, I applaud the fact that he was unafraid of failure. That was something I thought I could take to heart, although I'm unlikely to work at leaping any canyons.
The rest of the day was long, involving sunburn, dinner with clients, and collapsing late into bed so that I could get up early to work.
Saturday my co workers checked on me often -- particularly during what Jill (who was working with me when I got the news about Mark) felt were the "danger times" of early morning. By 7:00 pm we were done with the project. All that remained was the packing up and driving back to Boise, where the client had dinner with us.
That night was the first time I felt the difficulty of travel. This is when I would call Mark and talk about what was going on, check on his weekend, and make plans for Sunday. I felt bereft not having anyone to call. But friends stepped in to fill that gap and I made it past.
Sunday I flew uneventfully home. M + J and Kai picked me up at the airport and we spent the day outside, enjoying the sun.
So I survived. I can do this, although I'd rather keep it to a minimum even if it means losing my Gold status. At least I know I can fly, I can get on a plane, and I can manage to travel. And that is a very big deal.
I decided to bite the bullet and see how it would go.
Friday my co-worker Jill flew to Seattle from NY instead of going home so that she could meet me at Sea-Tac to be with me. I very much appreciate her kindness. My friends M + J drove up from Portland to dogsit Kai. They dropped me off and Jill met me outside the airport. It was very hard. My stomach was a mess and I feared I was going to throw up. Jill bought me some water and mint gum and we sat and chatted for awhile to let my stomach calm down.
Once we boarded, Jill held my hand and kept up over and hour of inconsequential chatter about the project, her son, growing up in Idaho, and a wealthy of miscellany I can't begin to recall. The entire purpose was to keep my mind occupied, and it worked!
So I didn't throw up. I didn't melt into a puddle.
We then met up with the rest of the group and drove from Boise to Twin Falls. After some initial rental car kerfuffle (did you know that an Escalada can seat 6 people, but only take baggage for two and a half? How stupid is that?) we were on the road. Everyone was very kind.
At Twin Falls Laura had promised that we would take a walk. Which turned out more grueling than intended -- a three mile walk up and around the Snake River canyon rim and back down. In 80+ sunshine.
The canyon is impressive, and while Shoshone Falls are lovely, their moniker of "The Niagara Falls of the West" had to be developed by someone who has never been to Niagara Falls.
We decided we had to walk out to the end of the path, which is the earthwork where Evel Knievel made his attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon. The earthwork for the ramp he had built is still there, and makes the location obvious. The second photo is the view across, and it occurred to me that while I may personally think Evel nuts for what he wanted to do, on the other hand, I applaud the fact that he was unafraid of failure. That was something I thought I could take to heart, although I'm unlikely to work at leaping any canyons.
The rest of the day was long, involving sunburn, dinner with clients, and collapsing late into bed so that I could get up early to work.
Saturday my co workers checked on me often -- particularly during what Jill (who was working with me when I got the news about Mark) felt were the "danger times" of early morning. By 7:00 pm we were done with the project. All that remained was the packing up and driving back to Boise, where the client had dinner with us.
That night was the first time I felt the difficulty of travel. This is when I would call Mark and talk about what was going on, check on his weekend, and make plans for Sunday. I felt bereft not having anyone to call. But friends stepped in to fill that gap and I made it past.
Sunday I flew uneventfully home. M + J and Kai picked me up at the airport and we spent the day outside, enjoying the sun.
So I survived. I can do this, although I'd rather keep it to a minimum even if it means losing my Gold status. At least I know I can fly, I can get on a plane, and I can manage to travel. And that is a very big deal.