Nerves

I find that I keep thinking about recent the jaunt abroad...two weeks isn't forever, but I hadn't really been anywhere so far afield since 2018 (and before a foot injury had me sidelined for a spell), so the whole affair felt pretty monumental. And while I was looking forward to the trip, I was also nervous to fly. -nervous because of Covid lurking seemingly around every corner and nervous because I hadn't had to rely on my feet to the degree that I knew I would have to since for about six years. My stomach was in knots en route to the airport the day of my flight. The hubs dropped me off and I really didn't want to get out of the car. He kept having to reassure me with 'You're going to be all right. Everything's going to be great.' That became my mantra as I made my way through TSA. 

As is my wont, I was WAY early for the flight. I hadn't remembered to bring any reading material, so spent a good deal of time wandering around the international terminal looking for print media. I could have sworn that there were more options for book buying and the like the last time I flew to Europe, but it's all gone now. Junky gifts, overpriced grub and duty-free stuff seemed to be the only purchasing options. On my way back to the gate, sans newspaper or magazine, a person walked by me on the moving sidewalk thingie just to my left. It was an old uni chum--we had both dropped out of the same German grad program--wearing United Airlines garb. In surprise, I shouted out his name and he turned around and recognized me. I don't think we'd seen each other since about 2006. At the time, he had been living in the German Ruhrgebiet and I flew over to see him. We took a road trip from Essen to Hamburg together in his groovy sports coup. I remember feeling nearly every bump and dip in the road in that wee car. I felt like the Princess and the Pea! Anyway, the trip was fun, from what I recall. 

-turned out that my old chum was also early for his flight, so we were able to catch up a while before shoving off. He wasn't working my flight, sadly, as I was bound for Zurich and he Munich, but he very kindly let his work mate on my flight know where I was to be sitting and she came by to say, 'Hello!' She also very kindly gave me a large bottle of water and a wee bum bag with toiletries in it compliments of my pal (and United Airlines). Just having that bit of human interaction both before the flight and en route to Europe helped me calm down quite a bit. 

Me and my old school chum.

Except for actually coming down with Covid (it felt like a gnarly flu) and having a wee disagreement with my travel partner toward the end of our journey together, the hubs was correct. It was a great trip and I was all right, feet and all!