Measure your ability to filter out distractions in this test based on a Stanford study.

Shortly after landing at DFW I looked out my window and saw this big boy racing down the runway. I had just enough time to reach for my iPhone and snap a pic as it took off right before us.

So, I woke up this morning for an AM flight from Corpus Christi to Dallas. As soon as my feet hit the floor, a jolt of pain manifested itself on my right ankle. Where it came from, I don’t know, but after a painful minute of limping and whining, I made my way to the bathroom. Since then, I’ve been contending with this painful nuisance, limping my way to the elevator, to the car, at the gas station and at the car rental lot. It looks like city-hopping in Texas is not as fun when you have to limp your way across an airport, and I only hope that whatever is ailing my ankle will soon go away.

The past week has been one of rough emotional lows followed by elating good news and a general lack of sleep that’s making it that much harder to process and digest.

First, news of my aunt’s failing heart left the entire family seeking for hope amidst the tears and taking last minute flights to visit her in Central America. A report of her heart working only at 15% was enough to bring most of our well laid plans to a sudden halt. Yet, only a few days after my traveling relatives picked out their funeral black garments to pack along with their troubled hearts, good news emerged. A pacemaker, a successful surgery, a little bit of medicine and a lot of love had brought my aunt back from the grave. We were elated…and grateful.

The planes, the early morning flights and the late night conversations of what had transpired continued on, however, and consumed most of our normal time of rest and repose. It seemed that the better the news, the wider the smiles, but the less sleep we all got, and the contagious pattern continued until just about now.

Today I fulfilled my last run to two different airports in different counties and just maybe things will start to ease. News of my aunt’s continued improvement continues to pour and a little shuteye sounds like a recipe for sweet reponse.

I can’t overlook, however, that I’ll be up by 4am tomorrow to catch the 7am flight that will put me in the middle of our country before I head down to Corpus Christi. Luckily for me, I have perfected the art of napping in planes and sleeping my way through early morning clouds at 36K feet is just what the doctor ordered.

Be still my heart.

I’ve been home for a couple of weeks now, grounded, as it were, since I haven’t been flying. I am definitely in touch with the wonderlust inside of me and I have been looking forward to hitting the road again soon. Thankfully, I’ll be 30k miles high by Tuesday AM. Until then, a thousand and one things need to happen or should happen and I’m not that entirely committed to pushing some of those through.

Every once in a while, I’ll hit a patch of general noncommittal where I would rather put everything aside, since I haven’t the sense or focus to hone in on any of it. I’ve come to understand myself well enough that during these rare days, I have to give myself the time I need to do nothing of what I had planned. This week has been tough, though, since I have technically been “working from home.”

I haven’t really been able to fully unplug, though moments in between meetings have served as the perfect oasis to play Spliterature or other sort of games. Besides gaming, a little artistic expression emerged in the form of drawings. But for the most part, I’ve been working and going against the grain of what my mind, body and soul tell me I should be doing. As responsible as it may sound that I’ve worked when I would rather not, it’s really not responsible at all if you take into consideration that I’m not nearly as productive during these noncommittal days as I would otherwise be. I can accomplish in one day of commitment what a week of noncommittal couldn’t garner, even with the pressure of impending deadlines.

However, the workweek is almost out and if my calculations are correct, I’m going to come into the ease and flow of productivity right about Saturday afternoon. Then, all of those irksome little “to-do’s” I’ve been pushing aside all week long will move to the “to-done” pile, leaving me plenty of handsome time to prep for another 6 weeks on the glorious road.

Ready as I can be!

In the beginning, girl created the blog…welcome! This is my first official posting. In true measure and form of its definition, I will be posting my ideas, opinions and any other rant-worthy thought I hold on to long enough to commit to paper. Hope you stop by from time to time!