At some point, you encounter enough new experiences and moments that you just can’t process things fast enough. How can you tell or know if you’re having a good time or learning something? You can’t. Or at least I can’t.
About a month ago, I stopped posting because I just couldn’t figure out what to say. In my travels, I crossed a point where I went from doing things to seeing things. How can I compare climbing a glacier with seeing the world headquarters of the United Nations? Both were interesting, but of very different ilks. The loss of my camera also took away the excitement of capturing everything possible. I became more cautious or perhaps even more censoring of my own actions. Not to mention, Geneva was the first place where I didn’t think I was having a good time, but couldn’t be sure. I decided I needed time to process it all. Perspective comes with time and by putting things away and then bringing them out again to re-examine.
So where did we leave off? I headed back from Australia and New Zealand for a few days in Houston. After that I went to Geneva for the Lift10 Conference and then 2 weeks in Spain. At the moment, I’m in El Salvador with only 2 days left before I have to go back to work. Don’t worry though, I won’t leave out the juicy details of tapas ordering, daredevil driving, and pain au chocolat.
If you’ve been friends with me for any period of time, you know that I’m not always the most punctual. I am almost never grossly late to things, but usually a good 10 – 15 minutes behind. Sometimes more.
Regardless of where I’m going, could be a normal workday or a friend’s party, I wait until the last possible moment to get ready. I know the minimum amount of time for me to get ready and out of the house. The problem with this method is the assumption that everything will flow smoothly: my clothes, hair, keys, etc. It also does not factor, that I love to cram in just a few more things before I leave.
This morning started out okay. I needed to leave by 9:30 to make the 10am Acela to New York. (Okay, so I didn’t know you had to be like 15 minutes early now.) All was going well until I started looking for my red wallet. And then I wondered whether I had the right jacket (I don’t; it’s cold). Finally, I really didn’t think about traffic or that I always get lost on the way to Union Station. (Yes, I’ve lived in DC 10 years. Sue me.) I missed the train.
I was so bummed and disappointed. My plan was to meet Kate for lunch then head to the design exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt. Neither happened. Instead after the frenzy of getting to the train station and then switching to the later train, we came to a grinding halt in Baltimore. My original train broke down and those passengers ended up on my new train. All that anxiety and frenzy was for naught. Only problem is that other than frenzy, my next favorite state is inertia, which has consumed and overtaken new, active me.
One early observation: As much as I love love New York, after five days in friendly, warm Canada, the city feels extra harried and mean. Makes me want to cuddle on the couch even more. Thankfully, Amy is joining me and can barely sit still for a meal. No one needs to worry that I’m eating candy, chips, and chewing gum in front of the TV.
