The Trip that Wasn't

 Despite our best efforts, and due to brain issues, we were unable to leave America [for vacation] this weekend. We were gut-wrenchingly disappointed, particularly because Mark had spent countless hours researching the best times to go for the Northern Lights, the greatest deals on the finest activities in Tromsø, and most likely a lot else that he hasn't told me about. 

So yes, we had plans to go to Norway, to be within the Arctic Circle, to pet Reindeer and go dog-sledding and meet Sami people. We spent a lot of time preparing, getting the right shoes and layered clothing and long socks and warm water-resistant gloves, etc.

When I was packing yesterday, I couldn't find a suitably sized bag to use as a carry-on, so Mark insisted I go and buy a backpack for the purpose. When I went to the car, I thought I'd check one last place--the car trunk--and found a backpack I use as my car go-bag [shoes, first-aid, snacks, Gatorade, sunscreen lotion, bug spray] and brought that back up. Mark agreed it would work, and while I was checking one last pocket to empty, I found a stack of index cards of Norwegian words from when I travelled to Stavanger in 2014! We took it as a sign that it was meant to be, I was meant to use that bag for our Norwegian trip.

It really does make me sick to my stomach when I think about it, but I may be overly primed to be nauseated at the moment, considering it was me who was having the brain issues that led to us missing our flight. My brain had been "simmering" in a low-grade migraine all of yesterday, and when we got on the Metro to go to the airport, I discovered that the Metro definitely made my nausea worse. It got to the point where I couldn't concentrate, which means thinking was out as well. There is some marital debate over the interpretation of the communication we did have in that moment, but the end result was we got off the Metro and Mark went in search of ginger chews to help me. 

It took multiple things to go wrong to result in our missed flight, and included unhelpful employees at 2 different stores, websites misadvertising a product's presence in the store, miscommunication on whether ginger chews were 'mission critical' for a transatlantic journey, and confusion on the name of the airline we were on. Basically, we got to the flight check-in counter 10 minutes after they closed.

We tried calling customer service for the airline. We tried talking to someone from the booking website service. We tried searching for other flights out, but the problem with that is Tromsø is not exactly a popular destination. Things were not coming together to be able to go, so we started piecing together all of the things we needed to stay, cancelling flights and reservations and car rentals and yes I still feel like someone punched me in the stomach. It sucks.

On the bright side, nobody died. Nobody was injured either. We didn't cause a scene. We weren't separated. We were able to get credit or refunds for many of the bookings. I still am on vacation, because I'm not at work. We got to eat Papa Johns for dinner, and get a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread at the same time, because the pizza place is near the grocery store.

We debated going to church today. I had messaged a couple people from church yesterday trying to get help for a neighbor, and in those messages had said that I would be in Norway. So came up the paradoxical discussion with Mark of preserving my integrity by not showing up at church, since that is what I had told people. We giggled about that.

As for the meaning of discovering the Norwegian word flash cards, perhaps it wasn't a sign from God that the trip was meant to be. Perhaps it was actually a sign that God is with me in my efforts, whether they succeed or fail. And while that interpretation does mean that I have to use more judgement on selecting a course [because a sign from God may not carry the implication that it will succeed], it does mean that God is sending me subtle messages of moral support, which honestly might be more valuable.