Sometimes I Get a Good Feeling …..

Sometimes I Get a Good Feeling …..

'Above the Clouds' photo by AVR

The stress of traveling makes my fibromyalgia flare up to varying degrees, and because I don’t really look ill, people are not always understanding when it takes me a while to get my stuff together - plus the pain and stiffness causes me to be less than my normally cheerful self.

I don’t like to say that I have fibromyalgia because I think it reinforces the illness, but ignoring it does not lessen the physical manifestations.  I have found that food sensitivities trigger flare ups so I have to travel with all my medicines, supplements and some food in my carry on and purse in addition to a medical device for my sleep apnea.  Juggling 3 relatively heavy bags is a challenge even on good days.

On my flights to Reno (to visit my grandchildren this April) and then back home to Chicago, I was pleasantly surprised by the many kind and helping hands along the way – the TSA agent who didn’t get mad when I misunderstood his instructions about taking my C-Pap all the way out of the case, the airline employee who suddenly appeared and picked up my luggage that had tipped over, the people who helped me get my carry on into and out of the overhead luggage bins, the man who watched my luggage for me so I wouldn’t have to take it all with me when I went to the bathroom, etc., etc.  I had made my mantra/affirmation for this trip “I create a bubble of ease around me when I travel’ (from the Louise Hay daily calendar I received from my sister at Christmas) and it seemed to be working.

I had a pleasant conversation with a young man on the way to Reno who has children around the same ages as my grandchildren and (after telling him I was working on the "Shadows on the Carpet" trilogy) I was a bit surprised when he said that the next time we met on a plane I would be famous to which I replied, “Why not.”.  I thank him for his confidence in my ‘sight unseen’ writing ability and I truly hope he will be able to support his family by doing something he is passionate about soon.

On the way home, I was really impressed by the young playwright that sat next to me.  He was delightful company and my trip ‘flew’ by. He graciously listened to me babble on and on.  I especially appreciated his encouragement regarding my ‘Views from a Plane’ poems (I showed him the ones I wrote on the way to Reno) as I had started to wonder if anyone would really be interested in reading them.  

This was a young man with a big heart and shining spirit yet I sensed that there were some issues he was dealing with. He told me about the play he was writing and it sounded very interesting.  I wish him much success with it.   

Sometimes I get a good feeling…..