A little rain must fall into our lives, and sometimes, a lot of frustration. Frustration arrived this week in waves.
It was a good thing we were headed to the beach. The Gulf waters never disappoint in warming my heart and my thoughts. There is something about watching the sunrise over a quiet beach that soothes and refreshes my weary soul.
As my readers know, my travel adventures are quite interesting. Those who know me would rather not be on a flight with me.
We were scheduled to leave Wednesday night at 7:45. After five departing time changes, we took off at 10:45. Takeoff time was past our bedtime, so arriving in Tampa at 1 a.m. was brutal. We still had about a 45-minute ride to our house.
We were not the only plane arriving at that middle-of-the-night hour. The tram to the main area where we would pick up our luggage had us packed like my luggage … squished into every open space. I would be traveling to the She Speaks Conference after my gig with granddogsitting. Yes, I’m that lady traveler who packs for a week when I will only be gone for a few days. There are two stacks of clothing: “I know I’ll need this” and “I might need this.”
Upon walking up to the #15 luggage carousel, we were informed that the luggage for three other flights was in front of ours. After patiently (?) waiting, we were told that our luggage was now on the #13 carousel. We paraded with 130 sleepy travelers.
Jeff, Chuck’s son, was four cars deep when we finally found him. The pick-up area looked like a swarm of buzzing people trying to escape a traffic jam. Horns were honking!
2:15 a.m. We arrived at Hunter’s Green.
With a short summer night’s sleep, we ventured to the beach where my thoughts could relax and write this week’s column. My computer thought differently. It seems it was out of memory. Well, at 68 years vintage … so am I. Thankfully, Jeff’s wife, Sara, showed me that I needed to delete files, photos, and many other things and how to empty my trash. Have I mentioned I love technology? I hope you read that with the most sarcastic voice you can imagine me having.
Thanks to technology continuing to get ever more unreliable, this week’s column is not about how the beach washes away Janet’s frustration. (Photo provided by Janet Hart Leonard)
As I looked out over the Gulf waters, I wrote my column. It was one from my heart. It was about courage and faith and how the beach is always a place where I leave my worries and frustrations. I wrote how courage is not something you ask for but something you find when you have no other choice unless you give up. Courage takes you into battle mentally and physically, but most of all, emotionally. I hit “save” … or so I thought.
When we woke up on Saturday morning, Chuck and I planned to head to First Watch for a leisurely breakfast. I looked for my medication. It’s one I need to take. How many times do you have to search for something in the same place for it to be officially lost?
We went on to breakfast. I had a bit of anxiety with my scrambled eggs and grits. I then headed, with great dread, to the local pharmacy.
Mike K. gently informed me that because I had just refilled the prescription on Tuesday, the $550 cost would not be covered by insurance … unless I got the insurance pharmacy department to override it. I made a call that lasted 18 minutes. Push the # to get to where you need to be. No, I had to talk to someone else, another the wrong person. Push more numbers. Finally, the lovely and helpful lady, who I struggled to understand, said, “I have you overridden!” Happy Day!
The pharmacist smiled. “Those 18 minutes saved you $500.” He commented that he was the Mom of the pharmacy and tried to take care of everyone. He gets an “A+” in customer service.
Upon returning to the house, I sat down at my computer to tweak this week’s column, and … IT HAD DISAPPEARED!
I had to start over. I was too stressed to write about courage and faith, so you are reading about my anxiety and frustrations this week.
And guess what? A little rain is going to fall today, as well. Like I always say … my life is never dull.
Janet Hart Leonard can be contacted at janethartleonard@gmail.com or followed on Facebook or Instagram (@janethartleonard). Visit janethartleonard.com.