Ireland- November 2021 (2)

 

(How) My luggage (felt)

    I used to know, for a brief moment, how to pack light. And I went to Thailand. Apparently though, not being able to travel for two years puts a person right back in their old habits, because to say I overpacked for this eleven-day journey in Ireland is an understatement. However, in my defense, I never felt like I was going on a vacation to relax and hang out. I was going on a mission, and this mission had necessary gear. Like books, notebooks, card decks, and yes, rocks and crystals. All of which are much heavier than your basic vacation supplies. And then the normal items on top of all that. It was the unnormal non-mission-related additions that I could’ve left behind. Things that I thought I could do while there was nothing else to do or while my brother was driving. Little did I know, neither of those two things were going to happen. So, the needlepoint, the chainmail materials (which I almost lost on the way back because I put them in my carry-on), the unrelated books, the sketchbook and watercolors, all could’ve stayed at home. Point taken!

    So, instead of being a svelte traveler, my journey began with me hauling all this weight on the Amtrak from Springfield to Chicago, all through Chicago, on and off two el stops and 3 trains, and through O'Hare. It was great, and I didn’t feel like a fool at all. Neither did I berate myself on the inside for being this fool that overpacked like a fool. Okay, I did all that. But I also reminded myself that this is how we learn! My brother’s oh-so gracious attitude that he was carrying everything he packed, so I got to do the same, was even welcomed. I knew I had done this to myself, and it would help me remember to not do it again. So, by the time his attitude changed, and he wanted to help, I turned it down. This was my growth, by god, and no one was getting in the way of it. This was shaping up to be an epic trip already, and we hadn’t even left the state!

    Needless to say, I couldn’t have been happier when we finally got to the check-in at O'Hare and I could offload my big bag (sorry O'Hare workers, I’m a work-in-progress). My brother and I were double-masked this whole time, and we had all our necessary Covid-era paperwork, so we moved through security and made it to our gate in time to board. Departure was on-time, at 5:05pm CST, which would get us into Dublin at 5:15am GMT. 

 

    I had the window seat on the way over, which I took full advantage of. We settled in for the flight, having texted our see-you-laters to family and me working to stay calm that we were on a plane in the middle of a global pandemic. I will say, the lengths Aer Lingus went to make sure their flights are as safe as they can be from Covid transmission made me feel much better about the whole flight. They instituted an air filtration system that recycles the air around each aisle of seats, so all the air in the cabin gets recycled and filtered every two or three minutes. Brilliant.

    One highlight of the flight came for me while we were flying over the Atlantic, just south of Greenland. I looked out the darkened window and noticed a slight, horizontal glow that was beginning in the sky. I was thrilled when it began to dawn on me that it wasn’t the sunrise, but the Northern Lights! 

Northern Lights from the plane window

    I watched the beautiful show they put on for our flight the rest of the way, and couldn’t help but read this beautiful display as a good sign for the journey. I think I read it right...