Friday 13 March 2009

Pull yourself towards yourself!

Ok, I'm sitting on Annelie's foldout couch with ankle-deep snow outside... and have just recovered from hysterical fits of laughter, because it truly was a 50-50 toss-up whether I should laugh (hysterically) or cry (hysterically). (Hysterically was mandatory, not optional.)

I got back to snowy Sweden late last night, had a day full of meetings in Gothenburg today and a plan to travel up to Stockholm with Annelie and some other randon adventurers in a car early tomorrow morning. The best of plans made with the purest of intentions...

And then, the unthinkable happened... On buss #1 on my way from meeting #5 to Annelie (imagine slow buss through slushy snow, dark, cold, talking to Sebastian on the phone about vitamins) I jump off the bus (into the slush, talking to Sebastian about minerals) to change to buss #2 that will take me to A, and I think Hmmm, what a schlepp to drag my big traveling bag through all this slush... and then, suddenly all hell breaks loose...
I'VE FORGOTTEN MY FRICKIN BAG ON THE FRICKIN BLOODY DISAPPEARING -INTO-THE-DISTANCE FRICKIN' BUSS!!
No, no no, the customer care at the transport department is not open at nine at night, no I don't have a car to catch up with the bus, and NO, no knight in shining armour shows up to rescue me...
So, as it sometimes goes with the best of plans... I miss buss #2 in my crazy phoning, stressing- unhelpful running around like chicken with chopped off head.. and decide to walk my anger off to A's house, 30min through the above mentioned cold, dark, slush, in thin-soled Dahab adapted sneakers... Which is how I arrived at Anne
lie's door, choosing to laugh hysterically... Luckily A and I are the same size in clothes, she has lens fluid and a tooth brush and a sense of humour and another friend will send the forgotten bag to Stockholm (assuming it's been delivered to the lost and found- I'm assuming for now...)

Over a cup of honey-infused Rooibos Annelie placidly asks me so what do you think the universe is trying to tell you tonight... and as usual... I have to throw my hands into the air and say OK, Ok... I'm listening.
For days now I've been stressing about things outside of my control; money, practical issues, future plans... and I f#*k up on something right in front of me, so completely within my control... that I miss it!
Too much focus on the outside things, the clutter..
. losing touch with what is near.

So as somebody once said to me... Pull yourself towards yourself!


A pic of Annelie and I in another mad state of hysterics another time... but the madness is the same...

6 comments:

  1. when we can see the lessons in the trials, then nothing will ever be negative again:)

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  2. at least you weren't wearing your flip-flops! Missing you honey, lovely to read your words. I fly tomorrow - yippppeeeeeeeee!

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  3. I took a bus in Santiago, Chile. It was meant to be direct all the way to the Peruvian border. At 1 AM however, a group of young army boys board and I soon discover I am in someones seat - My ticket only took me half way. Peeved at being severely yet very cleverly ripped off by the ticket salesman I was dropped off at a petrol station. I asked where I could find a hostel/hotel and was answered with laughter, a quick look around told me that nothing of the sort existed here.

    I walked off the main highway and curled up in the bush along side a railway track. It was probably the coldest, loneliest nights of my life, but I woke up feeling stronger for it...less in control.

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  4. thanks for all the kind words and shared anecdotes!
    geesh bevan, your night under the bush sounds extreme! mine was mostly impractical!
    and the good news is, the bag is found!

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  5. I LOVE happy endings... you could make that a movie, you know... ;)

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  6. You know I don't make movies with happy endings Martin!!

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