HW: #FridayFeeling: Cautiously optimistic.

Last weekend was a mess. Alright, you caught me in an exaggeration. Last weekend did not go according to plan. That is factual.

On a picture-perfect Friday morning, I drove myself to the airport. It was warm and sunny with the tiniest of breezes. All of that combined definitely enhanced my mood. As I drove through the parking in search of an empty spot, a black cat ran across the driveway. I am not a superstitious person, but, for a split second, I stiffened. Once I parked safely, I thanked God for keeping me safe and went on my merry way towards the airport.

Airports evoke a mixture of feelings in me. If I am traveling for pleasure, the airport is where the excitement begins. If I am on my way to visit family, I get nervous, trying to come up with answers to anything they might ask. There is a part of me that panics, frantically looking around, trying to make sure there are no people who might physically harm me. However, the overwhelming emotion is calmness. Airports almost seem homely to me. It is because there is an abundance of people of all shapes and sizes that I can observe. On top of that, there are so many different settings (i.e., check-in counter, security, shops, gate area, boarding, etc.). It is a perfect environment for people-watching.

If possible, I like to arrive at the airport a little earlier. Yes, it alleviates the stress because I do not have to worry if I will be able to make it on time or not, but it also allows me to sit down and read or do Sudoku. Why is this so important to me? It is because, at the airport, I do not feel the guilt. I cannot lay down my book and go perform some chores. There are limited options at the airport, and I actually like it. During that waiting time, I am allowed to do whatever I want without feeling bad about not checking things off my “To-do” list.

After clearing security and walking a short distance, I arrived at the gate. One Sudoku, two Sudoku (or is it Sudokus?), three. People-watching in between. Everything was going smoothly until I heard that my flight was going to be delayed for a few HOURS. While I was not happy to hear this news, I did not flinch. The person who was to pick me up from the airport called, and I told them the story of my delayed flight. “No problem. Just keep me posted” – I heard them say. The only thing that bothered me a tiny bit was that I would have to find a spot to eat at the airport if I was to wait that long. Walking towards my gate, I did not see anything that caught my eye, but I got up and walked down the hall to explore more.

The reason for the delay was that all planes were grounded at my departure airport. A beautiful sunny day with minimal wind. Hmm… I wondered if maybe there was a security threat. As I tried to explore the airport, I noticed that the monitors showed other flights as either leaving on time, or some of them were even scheduled to depart ahead of schedule. My plane was not even on the monitor. Bad sign.

Not having found a place to eat, I returned to my gate only to find out that my flight was canceled. Now, it was because of my destination airport. I turned around at the monitor and saw other airlines going to that airport without any changes. Hmm… I ended up getting a refund and then spent probably more than an hour calling all the people I was to meet with over the weekend to tell them I was not coming after all. That black cat came to mind. Maybe God just saved me (and other passengers) from a disaster by having that flight canceled? Even though I was a bit angry at the airlines for handling this situation in a terrible manner (I will not bore you with the details), and a twinge disappointed about not seeing certain people, I was content in knowing that everything happens for a reason.

I paid for parking as if I stayed there for 24h and went back home. Because I made sure to take care of everything before I left, there was not much to do once I returned (a few hours later). So I enjoyed a lazy weekend. But it did not feel right. It was not a proper weekend. There was nothing that I had to do, yet nothing I really wanted to do. I coasted throughout it.

This is why today feels extra special. It is almost as if I waited two weeks for the weekend. No, I do not have much planned. Yes, I do have a bunch of chores to do. But today feels like a proper start to a full-on weekend.

This week I had to work extra hard to catch up on the things I have missed while being off work (due to the trip that ended up being canceled). It was busy but good. I feel like I deserve this weekend. I am excited about it!

Whenever I look forward to something, a little voice in my head reminds me of what usually happens in such situations – life disappoints. But I am hopeful. No pressure. Que sera sera. Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best. End enjoy yourself!

Do you think you deserve a weekend?

Do you have any plans for the next couple of days?

Stay golden,

***

Did you enjoy reading this post? Hit LIKE.
Have some thoughts on the topic? Share in the COMMENTS.
Do you regularly enjoy my blog? Be sure to FOLLOW.
Are my posts getting lost in your busy Reader? Try SUBSCRIBING.
Want to get to know me better? Check me out on TWITTER @EnneaGramType8.