A blog post 'How to make a spectacle of yourself' by Johnny Summerton got me thinking. Well, to put it more appropriately it got me really jittery. I was already getting wobbly. Here's why.
As some people will know, and to tell others, I injured myself badly almost a year ago. I have been in and out of hospital with that and looking for the reason it happened. I am partly disabled by the injury and shall be until I have a bit of my anatomy replaced by a couple of chunks of metal. There are other health issues, but they are being dealt with successfully. The point is that I have been mainly at home since. The longest trips I have taken thus far were always to Bordeaux. Not really that far, about one and a half hours by car or train. I was also having a period of being grounded by the economic crisis but had been to London to visit my sister and Bellinzona in Switzerland to see in-laws. Now I have the first bit of work that requires me to travel for a quite a while.
I have been travelling for about as long as I have 'worked' and thought it would be in my blood. "Aha", thought I, "back to the old routine." Wrong! Quite wrong indeed. I am travelling on Sunday, by last Tuesday I was panicking, then I saw Johnny's account of his trip to Geneva and his missing glasses. Glasses case, search, search, find and sigh. Now to remember to not forget my reading glasses. My spare pair are broken so I have the one pair only. I asked myself, "Why, oh why, didn't I get a new pair?" I only need a little luggage container but it was what would go in it that started to worry me. I nervously looked in wardrobes and chests to see if I had socks, knickers and the necessary outer apparel. Then there was my wash bag, toothbrush and such things are in it, albeit shrouded under a hefty layer of cobwebs. So recovered, cleaned and inspected. Then came the dreaded thought. What have I forgotten? Dunno, so panic and think!
Questions abounded. Will my laptop be OK. I have to put things on it to take, right the memory stick is backing it up, but what if it all goes kaputt?
When I was in practice, I would typically take twenty minutes at the last moment for a three month trip. This a mere five days there and back. So I wondered what had happened? I am still wondering what has happened. I am also still dithering wondering what I shall do when I arrive at my hotel and do not have something or other with me. Which makes me think, what...
So, spare socks, extra copy of my train and flight bookings, there must be something missing!