I hate preparing for travel, but I like it.

I hate it because I always feel like I’m leaving something behind, or that things will fall apart without my careful observation and recording of them. Sounds très narcissistic, ne c’est-pas? But it’s true.

I don’t like leaving. I don’t like goodbyes. I don’t like turning my back and leaving people– I guess in that I’m just paranoid.

And I don’t want to drop my cat off at the vet and see her sad little face staring back at me. Right now she’s rubbing against my leg, waiting for dinner. I really feel like such the Judas by petting her, feeding her, and then turning around and shoving all eleven glorious pounds of cat into her pretty purple carrier just to leave her in the Evil Den of Sick and Abandoned Pets.

But I like it.

I enjoy traveling, mostly because even if it’s just a little boring and banal trip, there is always so much excitement. Airports always have that buzzy, busy hubbub about them: people leaving; people arriving; tears and hugs and silent remonstrations and smiles; luggage and screaming children; inconsiderate boors at the baggage carousel.

And one of the loveliest aromas known to (wo)mankind: the scent of Duty-Free shops, with their promise that you may not pay tax, provided you’re an international traveler (maybe). Sure, they are overpriced and all that, but Duty-Free shops have always captivated me. And the magazines always look glossier when you have to pick your way through 29 pieces of carry-on luggage to get to them.

And I am still a fan of the peanuts and the pretzel mixes they give you on flights.

Being there and in transit always makes me happy, if exhausted. But getting there is a completely different matter, because I kind of suck at packing.

Which is what I must do right now.

And drop the cat off. Oh God…. this is SO difficult! She’s lovingly rubbing her muzzle against the legs of the table now, being so cute and zen.

And I guess I wish I could just rub my muzzle against someone’s leg to have them do the packing for me.

But that would mean I’d be going to the kennel, so never mind.

*glum*

15 Aug This entry was published on August 15, 2005 at 11:17 pm and is filed under Soapboxing. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.