Time to fly
It's almost official! I will be leaving the continent! It's been over 15 years since I've visited an island.
Back in my day, all you needed was a drivers license. I still remember the anxiety I felt traveling one of the first flights during the war of terror when everything was code red. They ruined the airports with blockades, baggage fees, shoeless lines, groping, body scans and no kiss goodbye at the gate. Kissing goodbye at security never felt the same. It always makes my skin crawl a little on the inside. When my age was still single digits, I could drink Shirley Temples at the bar and quick walk through high security and top-secret computer areas with my Aunt who flew on silver eagles. I miss those days.
I'll be in Nassau as Lil Sis' guest for her friend's wedding. It is going to be amazing. We'll be staying at a resort where we won't have to pay for anything at all. That in itself is amazing. Last time I visited an island, I had to borrow money for a cab to the airport from my travel companions. Traveling always takes more money than you expect, especially when you're doing it outside of a resort. All those cabs and buses, dining experiments, terrible island fruits, appeasing the local hawkers, trying to find music you can dance to, paying to be on beach property, snorkeling and hiking waterfalls really adds up. I hate to admit it, but I don't think I'll ever visit an island again without staying at a friend's place or a resort. I couldn't go from a cab to a venue without a group of cons trying to separate me from my friends. It was like watching tourists get hustled and pocketed by the groups in the Quarter - except that it was happening every time to us. It's not fun when you're freaking out and your Catholic taxi driver is panicking because some street seller threw a bag of weed in your lap through a half-opened window because he spotted an undercover officer.
The resort looks beautiful. Its on the shore and they offer tons of activities by land and sea to enjoy. I may even be able to spend some time on a flying trapeze. I almost cried when I saw the elbows on the catcher's trapeze in a backlit photo on the resort website. I was so excited my voice turned funny, and I was gasping telling a coworker about it. I emailed the resort to see if they are offering flying trapeze during our stay.
It's all nets and harnesses. It's the perfect opportunity to test how my neuro symptoms are going to handle swinging, spinning, falling and flipping. There's no way to really test my body on static trapeze. I mean, I could probably take a private lesson, get into a harness and hook up to a pulley here, but it's a huge production. There's some flying trapeze in Athens, too. It's just that I'd rather test my body's limits amongst strangers. If I were to test them here, I'd probably wait another six months to a year to make absolutely certain my neuro issues are stabilized enough, and I'm feeling confident enough to scare my friends and old teachers who know what I've been through the last few years. At a resort, they're used to neophytes. The spotter has his muscles ready on the safety rope because everyone learns to fall before they learn to catch. He's watching everything with a Hup or a Now and used to the flyers being so shocked by flying that they're not going to synch with the physics. If it's an instant migraine or vertigo episode, it won't matter there. My body may surprise me yet - my reflexes are still on point. I grabbed a bamboo staff backhanded in a c grip without even looking at it as it fell while I was searching for my birth certificate. My body knows what to do if my equilibrium, brain and nerves will let it do what it knows how to do.
Mostly I'm eager to have free time in the sun. I work too much and have not been able to enjoy the seasons or the holidays. These years have been a nightmare. I miss hooping at every opportunity, walking miles with friends and camping. Those days ended traumatically after my injury. I've not been able to regain that freedom and happiness. I'm working on the things I must, and my body has been healing slowly a year at a time. I've been absolutely driven at work trying to make ends meet, pay medical bills and save for the six or more zeros I may have to pay for high-risk brain surgery and hearing devices. I've made no dent in that at all - it's all gone to continuing medical expenses, treatments, nongeneric prescriptions, tests, critical care for my precious kitty and emergencies. I miss being a part of life and interacting with the living. Ah, but the medical care is working. I am getting much better, so is the kitty. It's just been years of this. I need this vacation so much - even if it's one weekend.