And it begins

Life moves us in different directions, presenting challenges that creates different trials and tribulations.  Working in an office, day in day out can start to feel repetitive and at times work performance begins to suffer. Even though you are still the same person, friendly, helpful, have compassion, there comes a time when you simply have to stop. The greatest gift I think we can give ourselves is the gift of putting ourselves first occasionally. A holiday!

And The Countdown Began.

Work was finished. Cleaning up the Christmas decorations that we would no longer need when the Medical Practice opened again after the New Year – (For the very first time, in 34 years, all staff will have a much-needed break of 8 days away from the mental grind of Medical General Practice.) The last-minute organisation of work and hospital aspects, of cleaning the house, of saying goodbye to friends, to family…..all completed. The time is ticking away…only one more sleep before we go.

The night before the ritual of the “Weighing of bags”. More than a decade ago, air passengers traveling on international flights could count on taking 2 pieces of checked baggage at no extra charge. Not only could travellers check in 2 suitcases, but each checked bag could weigh up to 32 kg. Of course, that has changed – and we are regulated to a certain size and shape partly dictated by your particular airline seat and how much you paid for the honour of being confined to it for hours…..many, many hours! Maybe it is  because they can cram more people into the planes limiting the weight that can be carried as luggage? Who knows!

For me, I am amazed at how quickly my check-in bag for our international flight somehow jumped from 19 kgs to 23.5kg. I am sure that I did not place anything more in the bag since my initial packing at the last weigh-in only 2 nights earlier, but unfortunately, tonight my bag had obviously eaten something viscous, because it was currently definitely much heavier! Of course, there was now the task of unpacking that fuller bag that had grown in weight and size…trying to alleviate it of those extra 3 kgs of weight it had gained. Confused, this application involved me taking items out, putting items back, deciding what was important and what was not, such hard decisions. Finally, the penultimate conclusion became apparent … it was my hair products that had caused the check-on bag to have tipped the scales into the ‘obese’ range. Did the ultimate sacrifice need to be made? Leave the hair products behind? Shock, horror – a women away for a number of weeks without her hair products???? Not an option. High level negotiations were undertaken. A working compromise arrived at. The hair products could come, just in smaller quantities and in lighter bottles. Imminent panic averted! Bag repacked, zipped up, scales brought …. Moment of truth 3kgs less! It was much leaner! No longer obese! Wouldn’t it be great if us mere humans could avail ourselves of similar miracles. Open ourselves up, take a few things out, re-zip ourselves and voila, we are 3 kgs less? All in just the space of a few hours! Oh yes!

Travelling day looms. Christmas Eve.

We had decided to get an earlier plane to Sydney (where we would fly out from to Vancouver). This was purely because our domestic airlines over the past few months had deteriorated greatly in their flights and service, mainly because they could not get crews. Many stories of domestic flights being cancelled at the last minute with customers left stranded in the middle of a busy airport were being told. People missing international connections when domestic connecting flights were cancelled without warning, resulting in families missing out on long awaited overseas holidays. Even, we had suffered something similar ourselves when trying to return from the snow six months ago, with most of the family in tow, to have a delayed domestic connection Try running fast to catch a connecting plane with a 12 years old, two 7-year-olds, one 5-year-old, a sick son in law and other adults carrying baggage! Not much fun when cancellations and delays meant leaving us between connecting flights with just minutes to spare.

To lessen these concerns (and particularly, my internal anxiety), we had booked our domestic connecting flight to arrive in Sydney 7 hours prior to our international flight’s departure, with the thought, that if our flight got cancelled, there were four more flights from Gold Coast airport that we could depart from. Marc took that one step further and even booked (refundable) domestic tickets to Sydney with another airline as a ‘just in case!’ But all went well. Our flight was only 20 minutes late and we landed in Sydney.

Ahead of us were long queues and minimal staff to accommodate those queues. Waiting in line is considered by some to be almost as bad as torture, but it’s one of life’s inevitabilities. I wonder how we could make airport queues move faster and keep the experience more pleasant for those in line? No matter how carefully you have planned your business trip or vacation, from arriving early to check in, to paying that little extra for priority boarding, you can’t do anything about bottlenecks, delayed flights, or other hold-ups. Next thing you know, you’re stuck between an irritated business traveller who’s worried about being late for a meeting, and a mother with three tired, cranky children who simply wants to go home. And all you can do is stand there. Even first-class and business class passengers had to wait with the rest of the crowd. They might have a different line, but , yes, they still wait! On the other hand, it is not hard to spot people about to miss a flight. They’re weaving between on-time travellers at a speed somewhere between a power walk and a sprint, or they’re elbow-dancing their way to the front of the line to plead their case for immediate screening. They look panicked, maybe red-faced. Their suitcase’s wheels probably won’t cooperate for portions of their journey, sending it flailing behind them as they move as quickly as their new vacation sandals allow as they push into your line propelling you forward into the person in front.

Covid-19 for us here in Australia had certainly decimated the airport staff. Not because of Covid itself but due to their employees finding employment elsewhere when the airlines shut down and abandoned their workers. Not all previously employed workers had returned once air travel resumed and those that did, do not feel much loyalty to their employers. Hence, we were in line for quite some time. Sadly, as we stood there waiting, we were informed from some other passengers that their flights had been cancelled and they would not be returning home for Christmas. We felt so unhappy for them since likely they had made their plans long in advance and now there were going to be empty chairs at the Christmas table , simply due to airlines having not looked after their front-line staff when things got tough. But…today , we were not one of them!

We have finally checked in.

We have survived the long lines at security and made it through the body scanner. Marc even had a pat-down since his multi-pocketed travel pants seemed to be too thick in places. But the waiting game begins!

Now we are sitting with three hours or more to wait and nothing to do. The walls around me are bland reflecting my state of boredom. I wonder if I should dive into those emails on my laptop that I know need answering. … just to make sure that work is going ok…but I don’t. I am good girl and I resist the urge! I guess it is called a break…a holiday….because we deserve one! Working on the first day away is not what I was supposed to be doing. So, instead, I ponder at  how to spend my first few hours of freedom?

Sitting at airports I have decided that you can start studying a language while waiting. So many nationalities. You just need to listen to the many vocal cadences around you. I am quite sure I could pick up a few phrases here and there. Maybe I could learn while sitting here?

I could also do some online shopping. I have already been to Duty Free and acquired the perfume I wanted….but that is always a plausible choice. More shopping!

I could place my headphones on and sing. Loudly. Imagine how that would make people react!

I could always scroll through Facebook and see what my friends are doing. I could always stalk my husband’s ex on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. She  would never know I was watching her…but, looking at my husband beside me shaking his head…. not probably a good idea. Just a thought I had anyway!

Perhaps I could ride the moving walkway….you know the one that is designed to assist you with your bag, so you don’t have to walk that extra way to the gate or the waiting areas. I can do it easily without my bag…strolling along…singing a song….enjoying the moving floor.  I have seen so many funny clips of how bored travellers have imaginatively used the people conveyor to amuse themselves as they ‘kill time’ at airports! Dare I try them? I dare not suggest to Marc since he WILL without doubt try something…

I could always Eavesdrop. Did you know that an eavesdropper was someone who would hang from the eave of a building so as to hear what was said within. “Eavesdrops” were carved wooden figures Henry VIII had built into the eaves (overhanging edges of the beams in the ceiling) of Hampton Court to discourage unwanted gossip or dissension from the King’s wishes and rule, to foment suspicion and fear, and demonstrate that everything said there was being overheard; literally, that the walls had ears. He definitely was a little bit paranoid! Maybe appropriately given how his court tried to manipulate him. For example, Anne Bolyn lost her head due to gossip!

But sitting here in the waiting area, you would really be  surprised to know all the strange conversations that happen in airports. People discussing things, others arguing quietly, some videoing their family on their phones….do you know I am listening to one right now!

Perhaps I could ‘people watch’! That is such an interesting pastime. After all, it can get pretty boring sitting at the airport for so many hours prior to boarding…those many hours because they told you, you had to be there x hours before hand. To amuse yourself invariably many of us turn to ‘people watching’ to pass the time. We subconsciously do it without even realizing it. Possibly, we decide whether those sharing our space—even temporarily—are smart or dumb, interesting or dull, and happy or anxious. We might even start to spin theories about them, knowing nothing about them other than their facial expressions, what they are doing, and the way they walk or sit. Fleshing out our theories is the additional information we get from the clothes they are wearing, the jewellery they have on, and even the state of their shoes. Being a ‘people watcher’ involves picking up on idiosyncrasies to try to interpret or guess at another person’s story, interactions, and relationships with the limited details of their speech in action, relationship interactions, body language, expressions, clothing, and activities.

“Playing games with the faces, She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy
I said, “Be careful, his bowtie is really a camera” ( Simon & Garfunkel).

Marc is hopeless at it. He sees nothing about their clothes, their hair, their shoes. But he ‘sees’ their complexion, clues to their state of health. He would be hopeless in a police line-up unless the perpetrator was medically unwell. Hmm, I wonder if that person sitting across from me in his leather jacket and shoes is a spy…..and is that really his girlfriend??

Of course, eavesdropping may accompany the activity, though is not required. Oh, we have already been doing that! Hey, you know what, I could ride that conveyor walkway at the same time!

So many factors to consider.

So many options while waiting.

“Flight QF75 you are boarding now”.

Oh, that’s me!

My waiting time is over! I collect my hand luggage and wave a silent goodbye to the crowds before me. Beaming brightly that my time was now.

You still have to wait!