No Battery Depletion.

I've traveled a bit over the past week for work. 

Heather in Her 30s would have loved this. 

Heather in Her 40s... Loves to see new destinations... But hates getting thrown off her usual routines. 

I've mastered, however, the layout of DFW airport in the past year. And that is an incredibly useful skill. I've also developed a knack for working off airplane WiFi and being more productive than sitting at my desk at home.

The pandemic allowed me to thrive. 

I mean, I was a productive person in general in life. But then not having to go to an office and being able to just jump into work each day without the distractions of life outside the home?

This was a magical elixir for me.

I joke often about being even more of an introvert than before 2020. I only leave my house for a handful of activities:

1. Walking my dog.
2. Going to yoga. (Which lately is maybe once or twice a week. As I now have a gym and a proper hot yoga room in my house.)
3. Teaching yoga. (Once a week. And I only do it to feel like I am giving back.)
4. Grocery runs/Errands
5. Visiting my family every few months.
6. And traveling for work.

"Don't you socialize?"

Not in person. Not really.

I treasure my solitude. I've always been this way - even as a child. I forced myself to be outgoing because that was what was considered normal.

But not innate. For me, anyway.

So traveling - except when it's for pleasure and mostly by myself - is exhausting. And I always need a few days to recover afterwards from the stimulation of being around people. 

It could be the older woman sitting next to me on the plane playing Candy Crush on her iPad the whole time... Or the gentleman who sits next to me at a charging station table and finds disappointment that the wireless charger piece isn't working - so I offer him one of my spare cords that I always have on hand... Or the Uber driver taking me to the airport who pulls out a really large green stone and asks me if I know what it is while driving...

"That's jade," I say. "It brings good luck. Especially with finances. You shouldn't keep it in your car. You should put it in the Money Corner of your house."

I then explain to him how to find that in his home.

They are all typically lovely and smart people. I do enjoy my time with them. 

By the time I get back to my home base, though, I want to be around no one. I want to clean my house, purge my suitcase and closet, and sage everything.

Part of this past week's travels took me to a beach where the sand was gentle and fine, like sugar... And there were the bones of trees scattered everywhere.

And when you looked at them in certain angles, it was as though they had faces and their arms were reaching out for some affection. 

"Imagine being here and high on shrooms," I said to someone as we wove through the maze.

It could be terrifying. Especially at night.

But in the daytime, under an overcast sky, it was stunning.

And I felt a little energized. No battery depletion.

And it pushed me a little to think about finally booking that trip to Copenhagen.