Traveling

This week I’ve been away from home on business.  The meetings went well – we built some bridges, shared ideas, solved some problems, and even had time for a little fun.  Still, I can’t tell you how great it felt to put my key in the front door, walk over the threshold, put down my bags, and be back home.  It seems like Hannah felt the same way – she had to go lay in her crate for a few minutes and then systematically take every toy out of her toy basket and play with it a little bit.

When I was much younger, I thought it would be fun and glamorous to travel for work, that it would make me feel important and significant.  I admit I was a little envious of those folks that traveled in first class, all decked out in their business attire.  I imagined them running successful businesses, making important decisions, living glamorous lives. 

Like so many things I once believed, that’s not really how it is. Traveling is exhausting, unpredictable, and is subject to weather and the abilities, moods, and cooperation of many different people. A lot of people I talk with say they would prefer not to travel for work, they only do it because they have to.  There are others who enjoy that life, however, I’m not one of them.

Even though we ate at nice restaurants, (we had a lovely meal at Terra Preta and it was a delightful surprise to find that the Detroit Street LunchBox at the Detroit airport features Zingerman’s products!), I feel like I need to fast for a day to let my body recover.  I’m looking forward to eating meals I’ve prepared with my own hands and having some time for contemplation after dinner while I do the dishes. 

There was also the problem of trying to find places to patronize that had a positive rating in the Better World Shopping Guide.  One day the only lunch option we could find was Panera, with a D+ rating.  They did send me a survey after the visit and I took the opportunity to add a comment asking them to please make changes that would change their rating.  Marriott is one of the preferred hotels for my company, so I stayed at the Courtyard, which has a B rating.  Unfortunately, the gas station where I filled up on the way to the airport was an Exxon station, which scores an F and is rated as the number 1 worst corporation on the planet.  Yikes!  There were probably other stations I could have stopped at, but since I was running a little behind schedule and hadn’t planned ahead to find a preferred station, I opted for convenience. 

Now that I’ve got my bags unpacked, my lunch ready for tomorrow, and my slippers on, it’s time to relax a bit in the recliner and say a little prayer of gratitude for all the blessings and comforts of home. 

How do you feel about traveling for work? 

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