ANXIETY,

It started earlier in the week when all the airports in northern Europe were shut down for days because of the volcanic ash from Iceland’s erupting volcano. Munich airport, from which I fly to Bologna, was one of them. For 3 or 4 days I was a mess, unable to shake off the fear of my flight being canceled. Eventually the airports opened and flights were restored and I managed to avoid my first ever panic attack. All was well with my world.

I leave in 6 days, and now find myself obsessing over what cloths to wear, how many shirts to bring, should I get new shoes and do I really need to take my pastel pencils. But what bothers me the most is knowing I will not resolve these issues until I pack my bags on the day I leave, at which time I will act impulsively and throw things in and out of my bags, abandoning all reason and forethought. So why fight it. I have already stopped trying to get my mind on something other than this trip...it can’t be done.

I have every intention of sharing my experiences with you on this blog. Whether the posts will be daily, weekly, or somewhere in between remains to be seen. I leave here in 6 days, so I expect to be back on the blog early next week. Until then, I will be thinking of all of you.

Well...that's not really true. I won't be thinking of anything except Italy.