Mad, crazy, out of your mind, traitor, brave, lucky, intrepid, were all things that I was called when in different conversations I mentioned I was going back to the U.K. for Christmas.
It had not been an easy decision to make, well actually it was, but it wasn’t one that we, as a family, took lightly. A pow-wow/hui was called back in September and we discussed how it could work. This ended up being an ongoing process as a second wave of covid hit the U.K..
My response to many of these reactions, was that it was a weigh-up between my emotional health and the risk of getting or passing on covid. The importance of this trip to my emotional health came out on top, and in conversation I would often gently add that if the person I was speaking to had met my family, they would understand. We have a beautiful bond, and it is the heartache of many that live abroad away from their family, whether out of choice or not.
That is what hit me this year, it had been my choice to live in New Zealand, but when lockdown hit and that choice was taken away earlier in the year so that I couldn’t come back in May as planned, and that led to some serious digging deep for tools and strategies.
Therefore when the opportunity did come up to travel, it was fully grasped. Super grateful to Katie the travel agent, as I would have been at a loss trying to navigate this without her. Booking a place in quarantine, a passenger locator form for the UK, another form to travel through Australia, however turns out that was the easy part, nothing could have quite prepared me for the actual flight…
Due to being flown up to Auckland from New Plymouth at the beginning of lockdown to support a client in my Clinical Support Specialist role earlier in the year, I had seen Auckland Airport at its quietest, however heading through Security, a place normally heaving and buzzing, and being the only person in there, and then heading through the International terminal where the big duty free shop was boarded up, other restaurants and shops were closed, really started to bring things home a bit more.
Talking to the one waiter in the one restaurant that was open, it seemed there was just one flight’s worth of passengers in the airport at one time, and I could tell there wasn’t many of us going to be on the flight. Turns out I had nine seats to myself on the first leg to Brisbane, but it was at the gate that I had to start the self-talk and reassurance. Already masked up, we were being handed face shield that we had to put on prior to boarding the plane and throughout the journey.
This brought up a lot of fear for me, and I really had to dig deep to get me through this part. One of them of focussing on breathing, what I am inhaling and what I am exhaling, proved harder to visualise while wearing a mask and face shield, that was for sure!
A Course of Miracles talks about whatever situation we find ourselves in, we have a choice as to whether we come from a place of fear, what I call in coaching – the red zone, or a place of love, known as the green zone. Focusing on the love of the fambam and where I was heading definitely was responding from a place of love for me at that time.
I also chose not to put a photo of me on the plane on Facebook at that time, as I was aware that could have also caused quite a fear based reaction which wouldn’t have helped my plight!
Getting on to the plane it is a family tradition to take a photo of when we are embarking, although I felt this one did not look like I was getting on to a plane, more like going in to some medical lab or something, what with the cabin crew in their protective wear and glasses.
Instead of the usual socks and toothpaste given out, packs were handed out with extra masks, gloves and sanatiser.
Brisbane was much the same, in that we were the only plane of people in the airport, and although late at night, it was obvious that the shops and cafes that were closed, were not just closed overnight.
Face shields back on and we continued the journey to Doha. I was settling in to this now, although I was not getting the hang of eating yet! We were allowed to pull our masks down and face shields up for eating, however as the face shield was clear, I would forget and end up smearing the mask with the latest aeroplane delicacy. What I did notice, was that everyone was complying, that is until we got on the leg to the UK, and the face shields were coming off left, right and centre.
The route through Doha is my favourite, as usually it is just one stop, I think they added the Brisbane stop to add more people to the flight. The second leg my nine seats, was reduced to three, and I got to lie down and get some sleep!
Although this route is my favourite it brings with it a tensity, as the gate the flight lands at feels at the other end of a very big airport to the one that the next flight leaves from, and with really not much time to get there.
Anyhoo, I got there…., but my passport hadn’t. You know when you are looking for something and you know fully well its not there…, yes that feeling… Triggered, in that red zone, big time! One of the Qatar team and I were then heading back to security, as I know I had put it in the tray to go through the scanner.
As I approached the team that I had come through, they informed me they had had it, but now passed it on to the security supervisor, and no they didn’t know where he had gone…
Thankfully he reappeared and took me through some more security to retrieve my passport, at which point, someone pointed something at my forehead, and then I was allowed to carry on. I asked the Qatar team member what that was and she told me it was a thermometer! We then hiked it back that long distance, and made it on to the plane… While that was happening I was fully aware that my core belief was running and having a field day, and as I often share with clients, I am human, I get upset, angry, down too, we all do, the key is how long we spend there!
So then on the final leg to Heathrow, and my seatage had been reduced to 1.5, so although a lot more passengers than the other two legs, still not nearly as packed as normal. Purposeful or not the demand, I think maybe the latter…
Felt emotional coming in to Heathrow, and despite no hugs allowed at the airport, felt good to be home.
Some gratitudes from the journey :-
- Super grateful for my family and their constant info checking and updates
- Grateful that love wins over fear.
- Grateful for my motto for this trip – it is what it is
- Grateful that I found my passport
- Grateful that although it is not an easy trip to make, that it could be made.
