Back... Finally!
First of all, it was really, really sad. There was lots of fighting and family drama. But I also learned that my cousins are
cool
as
hell.
I wish I'd gone to see them before all this happened.
And I learned a lot this past weekend and also confirmed a lot of things I already knew. Here's a list, in no particular order.
1. Conquer your fears-don't let them run your life.
2. Or keep you from your dreams.
3. You really can brighten or ruin someone's day.
4. Sometimes you should accept that there is nothing you can do.
5. Sometimes you shouldn't.
6. Some things are better left unsaid.
7. Some things aren't.
8. Never let the passage of time grow so long that you don't know what to say to a dying person.
9. Stress can bring out the best or the worst in people.
10. So can grief.
11. And everyone deals with them in different ways.
12. Yes, there are worse things than what you are going through.
13. It's still OK to worry about your own problems.
14. Just because you love someone doesn't mean you have to get along all the time.
15. But you should still try-if not for your own sake, for others'.
And I've decided this about flying-it still sucks, just in different ways than I thought. Here's the abbreviated version of the long story short in a list of further things I have learned.
1. Airplane turns=nausea.
2. 96 degrees in Phoenix to 56 degrees in Omaha to 39 degrees and a major snowstorm in Denver=pack a variety of clothes.
3. Snow is frickin' cold and sticks to every part of you until it melts into an icy chill that sinks into your skin.
4. Some people are rude no matter how nice you are.
5. Don't be one minute past check-in time or you won't get on the plane (if you get a bitchy ticket counter manager who doesn't follow procedure).
6. Flying stand-by sucks.
7. Royally.
8. Being nice to flight attendants sometimes gets you free TV privileges. :)
9. Bring your own headphones.
10. Getting stuck in a snowstorm sucks.
11. Royally.
12. To the tune of an on-plane delay of four hours while you wait to be de-iced.
13. After already waiting five hours because the ticket counter manager was a bitch.
14. After already waiting overnight because another flight got canceled and filled up all the available seats.
15. Flying stand-by sucks.
16. Short films about drunk people racing outhouses in Coconully are funnier when you turn off the sound and add your own commentary.
17. Flying stand-by sucks.
*And* I figured out how to conquer my fear of flying.
First I assume I will die. Then I make sure to tell my kids I love them. Then I accept that it is out of my control and hope for the best.
That's it. Plain and simple. Fear (mostly) conquered.