Easy Rider

Getting stuck or lost isn't always fun.

 

My former sister-in-law got stuck in Anchorage last night on her flight home from a Hawaiian vacation. The weather in Fairbanks last night was pretty awful and the plane turned around mid-flight. I've been there, done that. It's never in the "plan" and can be super stressful.

 

We recently road tripped to Salt Lake City with a friend and her 7 month old baby. Eleven hours in the car each way. So much could have gone wrong. I thought about that a lot bit before we left. If we had a flat tire, it would have been an all-out cussing, gnashing-of-the-teeth, throwing-all-our-stuff-on-the-side-of-the-road kind of wrong. With a 7 month old baby on board. I really didn't give it much more than a fleeting thought as I was asking my friend if she wanted to go. Later, I thought .... oh dear, what if that baby doesn't like sitting in one spot for 600+ miles? It was just another  thought I dismissed as quickly as it came. We'll be fine.  And, we were more than fine.  That baby now has the nickname Easy Rider.

 

Last fall, I took a planned road trip with a friend from high school and I never gave it much thought until about a week before we took off. The day of travel arrived and I was a bit of  wreck inside.  I was going to travel without my knight in shining armor and although I can change a flat tire if I have to, it's been a long time since I've had to. I refuse to let those thoughts remain as I would never go anywhere if fear stopped me.

 

Which brings me back to my sister-in-law.

 

Her being stuck in Anchorage last night reminded me of a trip she and I took together many moons ago. We had traveled to Portland to visit family and friends. One night we decided to drive to the outskirts to have dinner at a friend's place. I was driving and got us lost in the dark, industrial part of Portland. It was long before Google maps or GPS, and even longer before I learned how to read a map (when you live in Alaska, maps are not necessary) or follow instructions. I chuckle every time I think about it. She was really pissed off at me and I was clueless as to why.

 

I know now that some of us are wound a little tighter than others. It's not a bad thing. As a matter of fact, it's a complimentary thing. The voice of reason is always good to have along for the ride. We obviously lived to tell about it.

 

Have you ever had a trip go wrong? What happened? How do you deal with the stress of it? Does it keep you from going again?

 

love, susan