See, Self? You CAN travel abroad, and be fine. And even enjoy it a little bit

I survived. :)

I am so tired today. I didn't realize it when I was waking up in my own bedroom this morning, showering, getting ready... but as soon as I sat down at my regular desk, it hit me. Definitely feeling sluggish. Also, after 3 days of intense meetings, you forget what you're supposed to do on a "normal" day. And what is "normal," anymore? Our meetings were about a whole procedural and role shift, so that's fun. We left without feeling exactly, fully CLEAR about everything, and without really knowing whether the previous priorities are still priorities... or not.

One of my coworkers, whom I like very much, is more of a worrier than me. She would like to just continue wondering "what's next?" while I'm ready to just decide and move on. I'd rather get to the doing. We will, I guess. Dig in and start.

It's all just something to keep us busy for 8 hours and keep the paycheck coming, anyway. "We all work for the money," Jay told me long ago.

But let me tell you about traveling to Germany. (My worry and problem, I realize now, is that I'd rather not have to do it all by myself. Going through Passport Control? Not really scary. Getting off a plane in a foreign country where you don't speak the language? Okay, it's fine, and thankfully airports are all the same, and nicely Anglicized (is that a word?) so at least you can read the signs. Getting a taxi? Same in every country I guess. But still: all those things feel less stressful when you have a buddy. It didn't work out for me to have a buddy this time; everyone had to travel on different days. I made it, obviously -- I was given step-by-step instructions, down to the specifics of "Your can find an ATM to the left of baggage claim, and your cab ride to the hotel will probably cost you 60 Euros," and it was a relief and accomplishment to Make It, but next time I'd really rather not have to do all the thinking.

I may be 42, but I still prefer to feel taken care of. I was glad Malissa did the driving while we were there, or we could ask a hotel or restaurant person to call us a cab. The people speaking German could order our food for us. I never had to pay for meals past a certain point (company expense). And I was so much more comfortable having Shawn pick me up at the airport yesterday -- I could have parked my car there and driven myself home, but this way I was allowed to relax after a long day on the plane.)

There were beautiful parts, for sure. Driving by the cornfields. Seeing the foothills of the nearby Alps (very near Austria and Italy). The history and architecture in Munich. Sightseeing and crowds because there was a festival (Munich's Gay Pride as it turns out). No, wait, that wasn't actually a "favorite" part. Too crowded, too hot. I liked the Viktaulienmarkt. The classic Bavarian villages. The factory, at my company, and the people who work there -- having written about our company history/philosophy for so long, it was nice to see the actual "heartbeat." Being with the kind, good, fun people on my team. Having truly enjoyable, festive, celebratory meals. Having free time to read or do nothing in the evenings. (Blessed relief for a mom, no matter what!) Open windows at the hotel, even all night long, because it was SO HOT without AC. Seeing that little church around the corner. Our hotel itself, which was adorable. Bavaria, in general, and knowing now where it is, and what it is. I'm so grateful for all of that. And the chance to move around the world on someone else's dime is pretty sweet.

Returning on a Friday is also awesome.