Yes, I was a Girl Scout, and yes, I did learn to “always be prepared.” After all, for over two decades, I was in and out of the hospital enough that I could never plan for events, so I did my best to always be in gear, always be ready, always be prepared. This week, however, although all is well, for the first time since beginning my blog, I did not write a post. There is a very valid reason for missing my weekly commitment, so I will share it with you. There is a lesson for all of us, and I am hopeful that it is a very long time before I am in this situation again.

Bruce and I left Florida on Saturday, June 17th to attend the high school graduation of our granddaughter, Maddie in New Jersey. As I packed for our close to two-week trip, I spent extra time on including extra underwear and nightgowns in case of accidents (which ostomates refer to as “blowouts”) and even mattress protection for the hotels in which we would stay. I packed the requisite “three times the necessary supplies” and extra meds and vitamins, as well. In my mind, however, the extras would be unnecessary, since our travel was well-planned, and we should be home without incident. May I add at this particular moment THAT was NOT the way things went. However, in my well thought out world, we would return with wonderful memories of graduation and its celebrations, time with family and friends, and a trip to a spa with my daughters and granddaughters. This was going to be fun!

While away, we began to hear rumblings of flight issues and frustrated passengers. Again, that sounded like background noise because there were no weather or smog issues, and we were to return on June 29th, ahead of the 4th of July weekend. We awakened very early on the 29th to leisurely arrive at the airport. I checked our 11:00 a.m. flight at 6:10 a.m. and it was listed as ON TIME…great words to travelers! While eating breakfast and finishing Wordle in the dining area of the hotel, I saw passengers being interviewed on television at various airports lamenting being stranded with no flights for days. Oy! Quickly, I checked my phone again, expecting a wave of relief to overcome me. But that was not the case…suddenly, my ON TIME flight became a CANCELLED one.

Sadly, the airline was unable to even tentatively book us until 4 days later, and even at that, with the warning that with the holiday weekend travel, there was a good chance we may be cancelled again. Feeling we had no choice, we drove back to Florida amid the incredible holiday traffic and construction that chokes the roads for hours. In fact, our estimated 19-hour trip, which, due to my health issues, we broke up into three days, became 28 hours.

So what are the lessons learned?

First of all, ALWAYS HAVE EXTRA SUPPLIES AND MEDS, and extra underwear is a real plus, as well.

Pack patience when traveling, whether by air, sea or rail. You never know what will happen once you leave home.

Be flexible if possible. We were fortunate we had no place we had to be over the few extra days we needed to travel, although there were certainly places we preferred to be. Prioritizing safe travel became our mantra, and making peace with the disappointments was a must.

Pack the right food and beverages for your needs. Stopping when traveling isn’t easy, and at that, getting what we need when we need it is a pipe dream. I did my best to stay on schedule, but I am still paying the price for deviating.

Be kind and appreciative along the way. People are infinitely more willing to help when so doing.

And lastly, I missed having the ability to send Happy 4th of July wishes to all! By the time you read this, the summer will be in full swing. Hoping your travel plans go more predictably and smoothly than ours…but as long as we are safe, let’s  continue to make great memories!

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