On the Road Again

The irony of my life in 2020 is that while everyone else has been confined to their homes and communities, I have traveled more this fall than I have ever traveled in my entire life. I began working on a new project in early September and I have been on an airplane almost every week since. 

A necessary side effect of 2020 travel has been a growing attachment to my collection of face masks. What began as my resentment-filled resistance to mask-wearing quickly became an obligation of my assignment in the workplace. I feel the kids' pain in the requirement to wear the masks day in and day out, except mine are usually worn in stretches of 12-15 workdays instead of their 7-hour school day. In either case, it really stinks. 

With all the traveling I've been doing in the past few months, I have now achieved Platinum status on United Airlines and Gold Elite at Marriott, and my preferred status with Avis seems to deliver a nicer car rental with each new week. I've developed quite the routine for packing, unpacking, and settling in to various hotel rooms across the country, and I've had to upgrade my luggage and establish strict routines to keep up with hectic schedules at both work and home. 

I've left my house in a Lyft dressed for summer heat and humidity only to arrive a few hours later in a different state with snow and an iced-over windshield on my rental car. I've experienced airports that were so busy I could barely find a seat at my gate, and I've also seen those that look like a ghost town with hardly any passengers in sight. I've been 30,000 feet in the air at sunrise and back again at sunset. I've learned how to make the most efficient use of travel time while en route, what will and will not make it through airport security, and even how to savor the peaceful moments amidst the chaos.

I've also learned that I am married to an absolute ROCK STAR of a husband. While Jeff was expecting to enjoy the fruits of his labor during a relaxing retirement, he instead has been holding down the fort at home. With an intense activity schedule from 2 super busy kids, he is wearing all the hats from chauffeur to home cook to homework tutor to office assistant to pool boy. He has stepped up in a major way to allow me the opportunity to focus on my work and achieve some once-in-a-lifetime career goals. There are days where the only time we communicate is through quick texts or once daily FaceTime calls. The distance and time apart wears on all of us, but Jeff continues to provide the steady support we need to ensure our family stays on track. To say I'm thankful for him is a serious understatement!

Another (completely random) thing I've learned during my recent travel stint is how to up my hair game. After years of growing out my long hair but never knowing what to do with it, I decided it was time to make an effort to look more put together for work. I finally conquered the curling iron in an attempt to look like the professional consultant that I am, and I find myself taking photos to prove to myself that it CAN be done. Ha!

In all seriousness, my experience over the past few months with work has been one of the most challenging times of my entire professional career. There are days that I am so overwhelmed that I don't know how I'll make it through the day. I regularly struggle with missing various activities with the kids and Jeff, and I constantly try to find the right balance of meeting personal and professional commitments. My stress levels have sky-rocketed along with an ever-nagging muscle pain in my cervical spine, and the traveling lifestyle continues to wreak havoc on my terrible diet with increasing levels of caffeine and junk food. As someone who has long struggled with getting adequate sleep, my insomnia has reached an all-time high. But despite all of these challenges, there are days when I am able to witness the positive impact of my contributions and see that glorious light at the end of the tunnel. Those have been some of the most rewarding moments for me professionally, and it keeps me going another day, another week, as I work towards the finish line. I look SO forward to that day when I can look back and say that all the sacrifice was worth it. 

Until then, it's "on the road again" for me in 2021.