I don’t know if I say it often enough, but the truth be told, most days I love my job. I am fortunate enough to work for a company that lets me travel around the world, meeting new and interesting people, and killing them. Ok, maybe not the last part. But I do get to see a lot of things and meet new people.
But this morning, I hated being where I am. Work sent me to Madrid, Spain to teach a 4 day class and I should have been over the moon to get a chance to come here as I have never been here before. But for whatever reason, the jetlag this time was harder than usual. In fact, going to Africa a month or so ago seemed easier on the head than coming here.
I got here and it’s basically been raining the whole time, and looks like it will rain the rest of the week. That alone is enough to be a bit bummed, but given that this is the third week in a row that I have been on the road, I’m feeling some serious road fatigue.
This morning, I got up and I really didn’t want to go teach my class. I looked outside and it was dreary out. I was exhausted as I felt like I hadn’t slept very well. I was really homesick for my wife and kids, tired, and just felt drained like I had no more energy to give. I started thinking about how maybe I can change my flight to get home a bit earlier on the weekend and that it’s just a few days away before I get back home. I was really feeling bummed and just wanted to go home.
But then I got dressed, and started the walk to work. Of course it started raining on the way there but not enough to truly soak me. Just enough that my head was wet and I felt kind of gross. Then sitting in the lobby of the law firm I was at, I must have waited about 20 minutes before the person I was supposed to meet showed up. The wait aggravated me but once I met him and we got settled into class, all of a sudden my mood shifted and by the time the day was over, I was feeling pretty good about things. The walk back to my hotel was even better since the rain had stopped and despite taking a wrong turn and wondering where I was, I got back to my room and felt great about my week.
I got back to my room, changed my clothes, did a little bit of work for my class tomorrow then settled into watching some Netflix. But eventually, my phone beeped and there was a work email that shifted the mood again.
It won’t be the last time my mood goes down or up within the next few days. Being on the road for 3 consecutive weeks is exhausting not on just the body, but the mind and emotional health as well. You don’t realize how much being away from home for that much time affects a person until you’re knee deep in it. This definitely tells me that I need to find a better way to balance my schedule so I can keep my head straight when I’m on the road.
For now, I’m going to post this, lay back in bed, watch some Netflix until the sleep medication kicks in then hopefully I’ll get a better night’s sleep.
