Yesterday, I wrote this Facebook post:
I am vacillating between feeling thrilled at the idea of the AWP conference and feeling nervous about the travel it will take to get there. I have my boarding passes printed for the long plane ride tomorrow, and I've checked my hotel reservation several times to make sure it still exists. I even checked to make sure that there is pedestrian access to the bridge that I will take as I walk from my hotel across the Willamette River to the Convention Center.
In short, I think I am as prepared as I can be right now. So why am I still anxious?
Today, I am less anxious. I'm a woman of many anxieties, and thus, I spend time thinking about what's making me anxious, being aware of my anxieties, trying to deconstruct them. Yesterday, I noticed that once I got checked in to my Southwest Air flight, much of my anxiety retreated. I have paid the $25 for early check in for my return flight, since I don't want to have to think about check in while I'm at the conference.
I am mostly packed--which means I need to start putting all the piles of things into an actual suitcase or my backpack. I am looking forward to this travel day in terms of having lots of time to read and having books to read that have been on my list for months. I am not looking forward to the discomforts of travel: the cramped seats, the bathrooms I might encounter.
It occurs to me that I am travelling further north than I have ever been before--or is France at a higher latitude? I'm fairly sure that I'm traveling further north in the U.S. than I've ever been before. I'm fairly sure that Portland is further north than Vermont, the state which previously won the furthest-north-I've-ever-been prize.
I have extra cameras for the camera and cash for whatever transit needs I have. Yes, some people have smartphones that eliminate these needs, but I don't. I only ever wish I had a smart phone a few times a year, when I travel.
I have a small umbrella but no boots. I will be traveling with my laptop, which is a relatively new development for me. I have a bag of snacks. I will take my sketch book and smaller marker bag.
But first, spin class!
1 comment:
Have fun! You sound well prepared!
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