Travel… and the Little Things

A few months ago, the opportunity arose to plan some travel–specifically 2 trips back to back, both via plane and both in other time zones.  A year and a half ago, I probably would have passed up the opportunity because I was so easily overstimulated and fatigued (among many other issues) due to illness.  Airports just weren’t a fun place to be, and the planes were sooo loud. My last plane ride before being diagnosed with primary adrenal insufficiency in April of 2023 had been to a funeral in Colorado which meant a 4+ hour flight on a budget airline that was absolutely miserable. I was literally sitting in the middle seat of the last row on the plane and could not even cross my legs (because of a poor decision to wear my bulky winter wear that wouldn’t fit in my bag), with a very vocal/unhappy passenger right next to me–lesson learned!  I was glad I could attend and it was a rich weekend but my perception was that that was the end of traveling for me.

 

But this spring, with my body on the upswing, I decided to be brave and commit to travel plans.  These 2 trips were both fun opportunities that I wanted to enjoy (a conference/seminar with the chiro+ a few days in Chicago, and a trip back to CA with my sister and her family to see our old stomping grounds from 30 years ago).  So I made the plans with just a little bit of trepidation about how my body would handle the stress of these 2 trips with only 1 day of “recovery” in between.

I got back from the second trip about 1am last night and am so happy to report that my body did just fine.  I had a great time in both locations.  I walked miles over downtown Chicago.  We kayaked on the river.  Only once–this is a big improvement–was my brain too overwhelmed to problem-solve when it came to navigating things on foot (thank goodness for my best guy and travel companion).

 

Because part of that trip included touring the Standard Process (supplement company) farm in Wisconsin and attending the classes hosted there, I also came away motivated to seek greater healing.

 

And the trip to Cali with my sister and her husband and 3 girls was just fun all around.  I may have injured a shoulder trying to re-enact the “egg beater” on the playground at the elementary school, but it was a moment of nostalgia worth the 2 days of slight discomfort.  =D

 

It wasn’t “hard travel” by any means–I wasn’t managing young kids or dealing with a jam packed itinerary or a serious injury or bad weather or difficult companions or any of those other factors that can add stress to travel.  I didn’t even have to drive the rental car(s). But being able to tag along and do all the little things you have to do to fly across the country–x2–and still feel well the day after returning…that’s a big deal to me and I’m so grateful!

 

I may sound like a broken record sometimes when sharing how exciting it is to feel better, even when it’s not back to 100%.  But when you’ve experienced serious, debilitating illness that has the power to really wreck your life plans… and then normal life starts to get back on track, the gratitude is profound.

 

There is always hope.  I’m so glad the chiro reminded me of that when I was going through my illness/diagnosis. And when we start to recognize the little things–whether it’s getting out of bed, having a meaningful conversation with someone about something other than our health, doing yardwork, travel without major repercussions, or whatever else–we can gain the healing momentum we really need to continue believing things can and will get better.

 

Be grateful for the little things…it really makes a difference!