I travel quite extensively for my job and so does my husband. This leaves our animals in a state of limbo quite frequently. I cannot tell you how many times our discussion at dinner is: What is your schedule this week? Filling in the gaps for animal care can be a major juggling act. Thankfully, we have a family that is willing to help, this means my step son, husband, sister and our two wonderful farm sitters Kathleen and Sara step in. We are well aware that everyone has their own life, job and responsibilities so it can be tough to nail down help when our travel schedules change at the drop of a hat.
Take yesterday for an example, Rob and I both got up early to make sure all of our tasks were done for the day before we both had to leave. This included, going to the gym, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, doing both morning and night chores, cleaning and filling the field waters, cleaning out the run in shed, getting groceries, cleaning the truck out and packing all before I had to leave for the airport at 3 PM.
Amazingly, this all went to plan and I was in the truck and heading to the airport at 3:03, only a few minutes past my target time. My plan came to a screeching halt as I slammed on my breaks, there was a major accident on 376 West and traffic was at a complete stand still. After about 30 minutes of sitting, I was able to get off the road that was closed and start moving. The unfortunate part was my new ETA to the airport was 4:35 and my flight boarded at 4:49. I decided to park in the short term parking garage to save time (I usually park off airport). Only to find out my truck was mere inches short enough to fit into the parking structure. I drove for what felt like hours around the parking garage and tried unsuccessfully to park my behemoth truck in park spaces meant for compact cars! I finally found an outdoor space with enough room on either side for me to make the swing to park properly.
By this time it was 4:45 and I thought, no way I was going to make my flight. Miraculously, I was able to get through security and run to my plane with one minute left before boarding. Only, as soon as I arrived at the gate I noticed something was amiss. Normally, the flight crew is boarded and the plane is ready to take off. I find out from an announcement given not more than 5 minutes after my arrival that the flight was canceled! I thought to myself, lets see these other options, but after speaking with the airline, the earliest they could get me to Minneapolis was 6 PM the next day! The plant was 2 hours from the airport and they were planning to finish up the run the very next day at 8 PM. So with a touch of relief, I turned around and began walking to my truck ,that I had so painstakingly parked, while calling my travel agency to cancel the tip, my boss to alert her to the situation, the plant I was heading to and the RD manager I was planning to meet there. Then I shot a text to Kathleen our farm sitter telling her I would be home tonight and to not worry about chores in the morning.
I arrived back home around 7:30 that night and I could not have been happier to see my goats smiling faces. Next time you are running around trying to make a plan come together, take a moment to stop and enjoy the beauty in what you already have. I will take a day at home doing chores over a day in the airport any time!
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