Another September Rambling...

Healthiness. I think about it a lot. I aspire to be a healthy person, both physically and mentally. It's certainly not easy on my job, but I try to do mt best. As I sit here in my hotel room, I think about all the factors that I have going against living a healthy life, both physically and mentally. This is obviously an incomplete list, but it's what comes to mind right now.

Commuting to Greensboro tasks me both physically and mentally. Generally, I have to leave the house around 1:30 in the afternoon to catch a flight to either Atlanta or Charlotte, and from there head to Greensboro. I get into Greensboro around 11:00 pm, and I spend that first night there on the crewroom couch so I don't have to pay money for hotel room. This leads to a night of not-great sleep (not so bad that I can't fly the next day if necessary). It also isn't necessarily clean, as I don't get to shower until later the next day. In terms of mental factors, it's hard to be away from T, especially when we're in the midsts of wedding planning. Furthermore, it's lonely here. I know no one, except a few crewmembers that I have flown with, and as I said to T, I am not getting emotionally involved in this company. It's also tough mentally to shell out money when it's already so tight as it is for hotel rooms to ensure that I can have a comfortable bed, a shower and sink to clean myself up, as well as a continental breakfast to ensure I get some good food in me.

So how do I combat this? The physical part isn't too bad. I make sure I'm well rested before I start my commute. I try to sleep on the airplane, and if I can't do that, I just try to relax. I am still combating not getting stressed about the commute, which has been going better recently. I make sure to eat properly (no Delta snacks) and hydrate myself properly. Once in Greensboro, I make sure I adequately brush my teeth (I'm using a heavy fluoride toothpaste right now) and wash my face. I also floss. When I get into the crewroom, I'll say goodnight to T, change out of my clothes into some sleeping clothes, and make myself as comfortable as possible on the couch. To prevent myself getting further stressed out, I'll check my schedule right before going to sleep to make sure I don't subconsciously wake myself up.

When I wake up, if I have a trip, I'll go to the bathroom, again, brush my teeth, wash my face, and floss. Then I'll change back into my uniform and start my day. If I don't have a trip, I'll do the bathroom thing, eat some oatmeal or fruit, then check my schedule and make sure I don't have anything. Then I'll start the process of getting a hotel room. Once I get to the hotel (I have been able to check in early every time) I'll eat some continental breakfast, then go to my room, where I immediately shower. Then I make myself busy.

One of the big things I try to avoid when I'm on the road is watching too much TV. It's very tempting, since I can only read so many books or explore so much. But instead of sitting there watching TV for hours, I'll instead work out (obviously) or even just sit in the hotel hot tub. I'll catch myself up on news sites on the internet, work on to-do lists that I can accomplish on the road, research things that interest me, upload photos (I'm way behind on that) or whatever else. I'll walk around the hotel, provided it isn't in an unsafe neighborhood. Basically, I try to stay busy. It cuts down on the stress and also keeps me mentally awake.

No matter how much technology is available to us today, I still miss T when I'm away from her. Cell phones, internet chat, none of it can replicate a conversation with her face to face. The physical contact is also nice and is missed. One person awhile back asked me what the hardest part of this job was, and I told them it was the loneliness. I can be in Burlington VT, while one of my friends is in LA, while another is in Washington DC, while another is in Seattle. Being that I am away over 50% of the month, you can imagine how hard it is on both of us. But we make do. One of the things we are getting better at is making time for ourselves when we're in Colorado. Our time is our time.

I like the idea of keeping my body and mind healthy...it's time to go for a run! :-)