And He has very funny ways of making me rest.
I haven't posted on the blog for a while because things have been crazy.
9th week: 2nd test
10th week: 3rd test, term paper due (yes, it was assigned at the beginning of the summer. But for us procrastinators, that doesn't mean much), mom comes, dad comes, traveling Ireland begins
Final weekend: Traveling Ireland with my amazing parents and finishing a paper
Yesterday: Dublin half marathon
And all throughout this, all the commitments I'd been quasi-avoiding all summer came crashing back into my life (as is pretty common towards the end of the summer). Deadlines approaching, faulty planning falling through, poor communication catching up to me, etc. Top that with trying to juggle seeing friends, family, and getting prepared for a retreat that left 2 days after I got home... I was pretty overwhelmed.
I say all this not to complain about being busy or to say that I'm the only person with commitments, but just to express how coming home was giving me a good amount of anxiety. Traveling with my parents was AMAZING, but it felt like another weekend trip. It wasn't until we walked into the Dublin airport that I realized that my summer was OVER and I wasn't going back to UL. The plane that I was preparing to board was taking me back to the states and back to people I love and a school I love, but it was still the end of an incredible experience. I think I was also overwhelmed because I hadn't gotten my "Marnie time" to sit with my journal and think about the summer and write down all the thoughts that were spinning in my head (I know this sounds stupid, but I need it. I've figured out that I'm 100% an external processor).
Anywho. We got to the airport and of course, the line simply to print my boarding pass (even though I was checking no luggage, thanks mom and dad!) took about an hour. I was immediately frustrated that I hadn't thought to print it earlier, and the signs telling me that I only had 45 minutes to clear pre-US customs or else I would be "denied boarding" were stressing me out. We went through security and I, of course, had forgotten to take some liquids out of my carry-on, making me more annoyed at myself and at the false sense of "I can travel by myself" attitude that I'd acquired. I said bye to my parents, made it to my gate, and boarded without much trouble (except that I forgot to tell them that I'd made it, so as soon as I saw their texts I was out of wifi range and got concerned that they'd spend the remaining 8 hours worried about me). I realized when I sat down that my headphone jack wasn't working to my TV on the back of my seat, so even though it meant I wouldn't get to watch any movies on the 8 hour flight, I was tired and had a good book so I figured I was okay. We took off 45 minutes late due to another cancelled flight (they ended up filling our empty seats with people from the cancelled flight), so by the time we took off I was already anxious that I was going to miss my layover in Newark to Atlanta (I had a little less than an hour).
I settled down, thought "Unless we crash, this experience can't get much worse" (spoiler alert, we didn't crash. I'm still typing), realized that there was nothing I could do about the situation , and dove into my book (shout out to Victoria for the solid recommendation).
Surprise! It got worse.
About an hour and a half in, we find out that a child has had a bad allergic reaction and we're going to have to go back to Dublin. Long story short, when we get back we find out that due to flight regulations, the crew cannot fly us back to Newark because of working-hours restrictions, so they've graciously rescheduled our flight to tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. They would work out layovers for us and everything.
JOY.
Needless to say, I was frustrated and mad at myself for being frustrated because someone's life was in danger. I was mad that I couldn't get a return flight and I didn't know when I was going to get home and thankful that we hadn't crashed all at the same time.
Cool things that happened:
1. There happened to be a nurse and an allergist on the flight who were able to stabilize the girl until we could land in Dublin. By the time the ambulance had picked her up, we heard she had regained color and would likely be okay.
2. The response of the passengers - sure, people were frustrated, but there was an overall attitude of "There is nothing we can do about this". People understood the situation and even applauded the doctors when they walked back to their seats.
3. We got food served BEFORE this all happened, so I even got a plane meal.
4. We're in a hotel in the suburbs of Dublin where all I have is my bible, computer & charger, iPad, journal, pajamas, and presents for people. I'm now forced to spend 24 hours getting caught up on things, journaling through my summer, and talking to God.
5. All of these are first world problems.
God has a funny way of making me rest.
See you tomorrow America.
Then again, that's what I said yesterday.
I haven't posted on the blog for a while because things have been crazy.
9th week: 2nd test
10th week: 3rd test, term paper due (yes, it was assigned at the beginning of the summer. But for us procrastinators, that doesn't mean much), mom comes, dad comes, traveling Ireland begins
Final weekend: Traveling Ireland with my amazing parents and finishing a paper
Yesterday: Dublin half marathon
And all throughout this, all the commitments I'd been quasi-avoiding all summer came crashing back into my life (as is pretty common towards the end of the summer). Deadlines approaching, faulty planning falling through, poor communication catching up to me, etc. Top that with trying to juggle seeing friends, family, and getting prepared for a retreat that left 2 days after I got home... I was pretty overwhelmed.
I say all this not to complain about being busy or to say that I'm the only person with commitments, but just to express how coming home was giving me a good amount of anxiety. Traveling with my parents was AMAZING, but it felt like another weekend trip. It wasn't until we walked into the Dublin airport that I realized that my summer was OVER and I wasn't going back to UL. The plane that I was preparing to board was taking me back to the states and back to people I love and a school I love, but it was still the end of an incredible experience. I think I was also overwhelmed because I hadn't gotten my "Marnie time" to sit with my journal and think about the summer and write down all the thoughts that were spinning in my head (I know this sounds stupid, but I need it. I've figured out that I'm 100% an external processor).
Anywho. We got to the airport and of course, the line simply to print my boarding pass (even though I was checking no luggage, thanks mom and dad!) took about an hour. I was immediately frustrated that I hadn't thought to print it earlier, and the signs telling me that I only had 45 minutes to clear pre-US customs or else I would be "denied boarding" were stressing me out. We went through security and I, of course, had forgotten to take some liquids out of my carry-on, making me more annoyed at myself and at the false sense of "I can travel by myself" attitude that I'd acquired. I said bye to my parents, made it to my gate, and boarded without much trouble (except that I forgot to tell them that I'd made it, so as soon as I saw their texts I was out of wifi range and got concerned that they'd spend the remaining 8 hours worried about me). I realized when I sat down that my headphone jack wasn't working to my TV on the back of my seat, so even though it meant I wouldn't get to watch any movies on the 8 hour flight, I was tired and had a good book so I figured I was okay. We took off 45 minutes late due to another cancelled flight (they ended up filling our empty seats with people from the cancelled flight), so by the time we took off I was already anxious that I was going to miss my layover in Newark to Atlanta (I had a little less than an hour).
I settled down, thought "Unless we crash, this experience can't get much worse" (spoiler alert, we didn't crash. I'm still typing), realized that there was nothing I could do about the situation , and dove into my book (shout out to Victoria for the solid recommendation).
Surprise! It got worse.
About an hour and a half in, we find out that a child has had a bad allergic reaction and we're going to have to go back to Dublin. Long story short, when we get back we find out that due to flight regulations, the crew cannot fly us back to Newark because of working-hours restrictions, so they've graciously rescheduled our flight to tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. They would work out layovers for us and everything.
JOY.
Needless to say, I was frustrated and mad at myself for being frustrated because someone's life was in danger. I was mad that I couldn't get a return flight and I didn't know when I was going to get home and thankful that we hadn't crashed all at the same time.
Cool things that happened:
1. There happened to be a nurse and an allergist on the flight who were able to stabilize the girl until we could land in Dublin. By the time the ambulance had picked her up, we heard she had regained color and would likely be okay.
2. The response of the passengers - sure, people were frustrated, but there was an overall attitude of "There is nothing we can do about this". People understood the situation and even applauded the doctors when they walked back to their seats.
3. We got food served BEFORE this all happened, so I even got a plane meal.
4. We're in a hotel in the suburbs of Dublin where all I have is my bible, computer & charger, iPad, journal, pajamas, and presents for people. I'm now forced to spend 24 hours getting caught up on things, journaling through my summer, and talking to God.
5. All of these are first world problems.
God has a funny way of making me rest.
See you tomorrow America.
Then again, that's what I said yesterday.
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