Plans, Passports, and The Amusement of Desires
Saturday October 9, 2010: I’m sitting in a Starbucks near O’Hare Airport, near Chicago, near the hour when my flight to Bogota’ Colombia departs, very nearly in tears, but not quite there. Actually I’m supposed to be in Bogota’ right now, the flight I originally booked left without me yesterday at 12:22 p.m. I wasn’t on that one because of a lost passport. I’m not going to be on today’s flight because of the same lost, and as of yet unreplaced, passport.
I discovered the undiscoverable passport situation just a couple days ago, on Wednesday October 6th, two nights before my trip. The plan at that time was to scan and email a copy of my passport to myself as a precaution in case it was lost or stolen during my trip. Ha ha smart ME!
This foresight was part of a recent decision to organize my life (and ADD brain), with the idea of freeing myself up to focus on some major life goals. A few months earlier I’d created a file for the explicit purpose safe keeping ‘travel documents.” This is where I expected to find my passport, this is where I am certain I put it after my March 2010 trip to Thailand, and this is where I first headed to retrieve said passport in preparation for scanning.
I recently read on Facebook that the best way to make God laugh, is to tell her about your plans. At least someone was laughing about this, because in addition to it not being in anywhere in the travel documents file, it wasn’t anywhere in my apartment, car, office, or even the stable where I keep my horse.
I’ll admit there have been times over the years where I’ve been amazed I haven’t lost my passport, but something about this seemed just a bit to tragically ironic to be true. On Thursday, still with no passport and with a flight about 30 hours away, I wasn’t in a panic. I figured that passport would reveal itself to me sooner rather than later if I just relaxed, kept looking, and didn’t freak out about it. Right?
But in the event I was wrong about that, I did contact the National Passport Agency, a passport expediting service, the airline, and my travel insurance provider. With the information they provided, I developed plan ‘B,’ which would involve a lot of driving, a lot of waiting in line, a lot of money, and a lot of putting myself at the mercy of the bureaucrats at the Chicago Passport Agency.
Thursday night I didn’t leave my office until 12:00 am Friday morning, and finally had to accept that the passport was NOT GOING TO REVEAL ITSELF TO ME. Reluctantly I prepared myself to hang out in Chicago getting an expedited passport instead of at the O’Hare International Terminal on my way to South America.
A quick call to Delta Airlines to change my flight turned out to a huge wake-up call regarding just how much this was going to cost. Piled on top of expedited passport costs of about $350, Delta had to get it’s share of the cut as well. Despite having several open seats on the next day’s flight, they wanted to charge me both the fare difference $300 and a change fee of $250.
Since that moment, the mishaps and misadventures conspired in such a way that my attitude, and my plans, continued on a pretty fast downward spiral. I was exhausted and spent the three hour drive to Chicago brutally slapping my own face, arms, head and neck to stay awake at the wheel. Fueled by desperation, determination, and eventually Starbucks, I made it to Chicago. On the way I hit traffic, took a wrong turn, accidentally drove through a toll, and arrived in Chicago…. late.
Lily, my personal passport expediter, assured me there was still hope, took my money and my application, and set off running to do her thing. I headed off to the City Clerk to get part of my application notarized- and where I was to become an unwilling participant in what felt like a Saturday Night Live spoof on dealing with bureaucrats. Forty-five minutes later (the amount of time it took city employee “Yolanda” to sign my form), Lily’s assistant made off for the Passport Agency with the rest of my application.
Around 5:00 p.m., with only two hours of sleep during the last 48 hours, I got the news. Expedited passport application for Lucinda M. Vette, denied. I was exhausted, I was discouraged, and when I learned that the Columbus Day holiday meant the Passport Agency was closed until Tuesday, I was mad as hell.
As soon as I checked into the expensive hotel (another $150), conveniently located at O’Hare Airport for ease of boarding the Saturday morning flight I never took- it was time for a relaxing hot soak in the tub. Within moments of stepping into the tub and turning on my brand new Kindle 3G, I immediately fell asleep and learned the hard way that Kindle’s are not waterproof ($300 mistake).
I recognize that in the realm of disasters, the highs and lows and lack of sleep over the past few days were insignificant on their face. No one died, no life had been unalterably changed for the worse. As far as I could tell no real catastrophe in the grand scheme of anything caused any ripple effect to be felt around the world. With this in mind I waited impatiently for a zen like tranquility to descend upon me… and bring with it my bloody passport, several hundred dollars and a brand new Kindle…..
The replacement passport was supposed to arrive by FedEx ($20) the morning of October 14, 2010. Up until about 3:00 p.m. on the 14th, I still entertained the crazy idea that my next blog post would be written from a lovely room at The Art House Hotel in Medellin. As of this writing it’s 6:30 p.m. No passport in site. Lily has stopped answering my calls. And I’m just about back to square one, except that I am a week older, my bank account is several hundred dollars lighter, and I have completely abandoned the idea of going to Colombia for this particular trip. Believe it or not, things are looking up.
I am reminded that life is a journey of unexpected twists and adventures. The experiences we pick up along the way can either become the baggage that weighs us down- or the luggage we utilize to carry with us the gifts and lessons life throws our way. It won’t be in Colombia next week, but I will be on vacation. And one that’s shaping up to be a surprising first step in a whole new direction.
That passport will show up one of these days. In the meantime, I’m actually kind of grateful to see I can have a good hard laugh at myself over this- and put into practice the option to focus on the doors that open instead of struggling against the ones that close.
I’d love to hear YOUR stories of plans gone awry! Did you find a way to laugh or maybe turn things around when life seems to be pulling out all the wrong punches? I’d really appreciate some company down here, so let me know I’m not the ONLY ONE!
24 Responses to “Plans, Passports, and The Amusement of Desires”
Comments
Read below or add a comment...
Wow, that’s one hell of a string of events. Sounds like you did your damnedest to make it happen though. I really like how you put it all in perspective at the end. It’s so hard to come to that point of view.
Last summer, my wife and I were on our sabbatical in Portugal. We were in Lisbon with my brother and his girlfriend, and the next day we had a flight to Edinburgh to meet up with my parents and sister. The night before our flight, I received an email from my sister telling us that thunderstorms in Chicago had grounded all flights. It was looking like their flight from the USA wouldn’t happen and that we’d end up spending a night alone in an amazing B&B overlooking the Meadows.
My sister, Type A through and through (and an Air Force trauma surgeon no less), worked it out so they would be on a flight that same night while my father was ready to go home and call it all off (this was his first trip overseas). In the end, we all met up in London for our transfer to Edinburgh, though we were many thousands of dollars lighter in the pocket for the last minute plane switch. My parents still don’t know how it much it cost – my sister, and to a much lesser extent my wife and I, absorbed the costs.
I DID try Keith, thanks! Sometimes you just have to let go and move in another direction. Passport did arrive this morning, so at least I’m ready to go international again. It will happen soon!
I’m so sorry the trip didn’t work out…you’re absolutely right that there will be more trips to come!
Jess Riley recently posted..Hello- Baby
Hey Jess- Thanks for the comment- and the ‘co-miserating.’
Things have a way of working out quite nicely IF you focus on that over which you have control. This has given me some time to step back and get focused on some important things. NOT that I wouldn’t like to be in Colombia right now…. I’ll get there in the near future. Hope to see you SOON.
as you well know — been there, done that. And I can verify that it is just a horrible feeling. Sorry you had to go through all this!!
Michael Hodson recently posted..How-to- StumbleUpon to Drive Website Traffic
The closest type of mishap I had travelling was when my ears couldn’t pop after a rather steep landing so they were stuck at ‘cabin pressure’ for around 3 months. At first I did like you and thought they would right themselves eventually. The morning I should have taken a flight to England the pressure was so intense and painful that I decided to listen to the doctors and cancel. I cried like a baby that morning so I know how it feels to have to postpone an adventure. Happily my ears have (with the help of acupuncture) fully healed and I’m finally able to fly again.
I’m very glad to hear the passport finally arrived and you can go international again. Cheers to your new, shiny passport and all the stamps waiting to find their home inside!
Catia recently posted..A Perfect Moment in Herculaneum
Wow, Lucinda! What a horrific story. But #1) your takeaway from the experience is invaluable; and #2) the way you tell the story is beautiful . . . I really look forward to reading more from you! Thanks a ton for sharing this.
Mark Powers recently posted..Face-Off!
Catia- Wow, thanks for sharing- your story is PAINFUL on a couple levels. I’m happy your trip worked out- and I’m sure mine will eventually as well. I love your picture by the way- you’re an adventurous soul, I can tell.
Hey Mark Powers! Thanks for reading and your comments. Someone once gave me some EXCELLENT advice along the lines of ” a place for everything and everything in it’s place.” Taking that into consideration, I can tell you exactly where my TWO passports are at this very moment. More to come on that in the future…..
Lucinda – Though not as pricey as your Passport Fiasco…as a (usually) hyper-organized person, I feel your *pain* with the Being-so-organized-that-you-actually-misplace-something scenario…My story to share doesn’t involve misplacing anything except *Good Judgment* [at a price]:
THE HIGHLIGHTS — It’s 1999 + I’m a frisky 20-something…out in NYC for a friend’s wedding…At the after-party near Times Square, AFTER the Cipriani Wall Street reception…I make pals with *some guy @ the bar*…who incidentally, as it turned out, wasn’t actually part of the wedding group…Rainy night…New Pal and I strike out into the wilds of the wet city – to *I think* – go get a[nother] drink @ my hotel…believe we finally got back to the after-party somewhere around 5am…The ragers (Irish wedding) were still raging…
THE LOWLIGHTS — Around 7am I go back to the hotel for a *quick nap* before the BRUNCH just outside The City…Getting to my destination would require taking the train from Grand Central…something I’d done, literally hundreds of times in my youth – having grown up in a nearby “commuter town”…NATURALLY ended up oversleeping…still so out of it — literally couldn’t figure out how to get myself a ticket. End up taking a CAB from Grand Central to the Stamford train station…easily over $100 cab fare…I didn’t have enough cash…
LIGHTS-OUT — Before I owned a cell phone – or at least one with “roaming”…had to use a pay phone to call the house where the brunch was happening…the bride’s GRANDMOTHER, picked up the phone…”Hi Honey…where aaare you?”…I’m still barely sobering up…trying to convey that I needed to have her find my MOM (my Dad would have NOT been happy with this little departure from my generally exemplary behavior)…so I could tell her that I “missed” my train + had to “take a cab” (it’s like an HOUR+ drive from The City to where I was going)…and have my mom borrow a car from my friend’s parents (since they took the train in as well – with a shuttle to the house)…to come *pick me up at the station*….and BRING CASH! (since the cabbie was waiting on me to pay…).
I showed up to the brunch [now late-lunch] more green, hungover, than the wad of $20s I’d blown on the mishap. My mom never told anybody the real story.
The End
Hope whatever vaca you’ve got on the books next is really terrif + fiasco-free
- C
Lucinda,
I had exactly the same experience – spiritually – and just wrote about it. The upshot of it all for me was that I could trust the universe to take care of me, whether it looked like what I thought it should or something completely different. http://insanelyserene.wordpress.com/2010/10/08/the-trip-that-took-me/
Linda
Hi Linda- Thank you for your response- I agree with you about trusting the universe- there is a lesson to learn in discerning between things not being meant to work out- and when it’s necessary to push through something that seems difficult. This really seemed like one of those times where I had to step back, calibrate my center and let go of my ‘plan.” The message couldn’t have been much louder! Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.
oddly enough, this post made me super nostalgic for good ol’ ORD. I went to Northwestern, so I spent some quality time hanging out in the airport Starbucks due to weather delays.
Can’t say I’ve had quite the passport nightmare that you did, but it brings back memories of dealing with Brazilian bureaucracy…which makes American bureaucracy look like a walk in the park. I hope your travels don’t ever bring you any run-ins with my pals at the immigration desk in the Rio de Janeiro airport…..I’m surprised I don’t get gift baskets from them at Christmas (if Brazilians did that, that is…)
anyway, great post. I hope you make it to Bogotá, I’ve heard great things about it!
Oh Catharine- I can just imagine- and would love to hear some stories about Brazil!! Frustrating ones and all the rest…. In my little passport fiasco, it was bad dealing with the passport agency and city government workers. Being at the mercy of someone who seems to enjoy your squirming discomfort and playing with their power over you is maddening (at best). Frustration with myself for being the situation was equally as high! Have not rebooked the trip quite yet, but think I’m going to get my calendar out to day and start looking at dates. Thanks so much for checking out my post!
Sometimes fate turns us into turmoil. Challenges us to experience the unexpected. It is one way of making us aware of being a human, that is not perfect at all times.
Garcia recently posted..How to win the lottery
I had traveling was when my ears couldn’t pop after a rather steep landing so they were stuck at cabin pressure for around two months. At first I did like you and thought they would right themselves eventually.
Rlyn recently posted..angry birds for pc
Nice post! Thanks for sharing this blog.
unitedkingdom05 recently posted..Diabetic Diet Guidelines
This post has been writing October 2010, I hope you had your passport and you have been to Columbia already. Next time if you have to make a plan for your life tell God first about it. I think He has better plans than you do. Maybe you really was not allowed bu God to go to that place that time. You are just like me, I wait for lost things and believe that they will just emerged one day.
stevedayl recently posted..- DATING TIPS FOR MEN
The way you tell the story is beautiful . . I really look forward to reading more from you! Thanks a ton for sharing this. |
sasuke05 recently posted..free parking games
I agree with you about trusting the universe- there is a lesson to learn in discerning between things not being meant to work out- and when it’s necessary to push through something that seems difficult.
Adams recently posted..Forex
This really seemed like one of those times where I had to step back, calibrate my center and let go of my ‘plan.” The message couldn’t have been much louder! Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.
wind0506 recently posted..diet plans for women
I’m happy your trip worked out- and I’m sure mine will eventually as well. I love your picture by the way- you’re an adventurous soul, I can tell.thanks for posting…
Meggley recently posted..angry birds android
I really look forward to reading more from you! Thanks a ton for sharing this. |
slumdunk0506 recently posted..Good Movies To Watch
Thanks for reading and your comments. Someone once gave me some EXCELLENT advice along the lines of ” a place for everything and everything in it’s place. |
malunggay56 recently posted..Common Relationship Problems