Staring Down The Fears

Made plans to take a trip this month to visit the 'Fugee who is having what I like to call a "gap year."

In addition to finding myself finalizing packing on the morning of departure, found myself pretty anxious weeks prior to the trip. I had to keep telling myself  "It's okay" which worked a lot of days but also didn't work on other days. I, for real, had to stare down a number of fears.

How does one pack for three weeks? How does one neatly wrap up things at work and at home? How does one not worry about the people temporarily left behind? How does one not worry about crossing over the Atlantic Ocean? How to say goodbye to people without freaking yourself or them out? Had to tell myself that my worry would not prevent anything from happening...

I kept missing the date for my suitcase to get packed until, finally, I had to do it. I really needed and wanted to go to yoga on Monday night. Signed up for the class and then 10 minutes later, canceled the reservation because I knew that I didn't have the hour to spare. What I did do was drive by the yoga studio so that I could say bye to Alison.Went back home and tried to reach as much packing closure as possible. I was, for sure, certain that my bag weighed over 50 pounds but when I weighed it on the scale -- the one before you check-in -- it said that my bag weighed 37.5 pounds -- only five more pounds than I usually pack.

I was surprised, as I packed, that many people reached out to me to wish me well. Not sure why I was so surprised...The first leg of the trip went pretty well and I had to smile as we were boarding the plane to Amsterdam because this girl asked her mother in some language that I didn't recognize What is yoga? as she read the back of my shirt.

Because of weather, we ended up spending two hours on the tarmac -- turning a seven hour flight into a nine hour one. The last time that I was in Europe, the plane was much, much bigger. You can totally see why people lose their cool on flights...

And, oh, the turbulence. I was too nervous to read the magazine or book that I'd put in my carry-on and I, literally, wanted to kiss the ground when I landed in Amsterdam...

While in Zagreb waiting for my last, short flight, this woman, Amra, flashed me the warmest, sweetest and most reassuring smile. We ran into each other several more times. As we walked toward the plane, she asked me if I was going to Sarajevo for pleasure or business... Amra was my good omen.

Crop Duster....

Today the 'Fugee and I walked around Sarajevo for five plus hours. I think we were going off of pure adrenaline. The ' Fugee, at one point, asked this woman, Emina, how to get to a certain restaurant and she said that she would take us. Not only was Emina my second good omen but she was a superb driver of a stick shift and refused offers of coffee or payment and said the pleasure was all hers, wow.

The 'Fugee

The View, Sarajevo

And last but not least: 'the Fugee has been at her hospitable best. At the end of our day, she made foot soaks for us. Hvala puno, 'Fugee...

Thought that I had eased into the time here but it's almost 2:00 a.m. and I am not sleepy at all...