Friday, December 09, 2005

It has a name...

...my disease is called "Travelitis". (Thanks, Kristen, for correctly diagnosing me.) It seems to be hereditary, as my mother suffers severely from the same symptoms. When any trip is eminent, I begin to slowly go more and more crazy, until I peak with wacky, stressed-out outbursts. I get overwhelmed knowing that I need to arrange for bills to be paid, pets to be fed, laundry to be done, the house to be cleaned (because there's little worse than returning home to a messy house after a trip), and all the baby/child paraphanalia to be packed. Oh, there are also the errands to be run, the refrigerator to clean out (if it's a lengthy trip), and the plants to be watered. It seems to be compounded by the need to bake and wrap the things we'll need for the Christmas party we're attending. Eeek!

Anyway, I'm sad to report that the travelitis is in full-swing right this very day. The nutty thing about it is, instead of simply packing, this always seems to be a time for self-evaluation. I figure that if I were as organized as I want to be, then all these things wouldn't be an issue, since I'd be on top of it all before I started packing. I get upset with myself for not starting way in advance, and my mind gets more and more scattered. Yep, it's crazy, and I drive myself and my poor family batty during all this.

The good news is, once we're about 10 miles out of town, I calm way down and enjoy the rest of the trip. You just have to give me a tranquilizer until we're at that point. And for your own good, stay at least 50 feet away.

Anyone suffer from the same disease, or have any known remedies?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I make a list of everything that needs to done, than a list of everything that needs to be packed, and a list of everything we need to take with us. If I don't do this I will forget someting. After I make the lists which will take a day or two to complete. (It is always around so I can add to it when I remember something) I then go over it with Cedric asking if there is anything I am forgetting and asking him "are you sure?" this drives him nuts. Then I spend the day of or before doing what needs to be done and making off things as they are complete.
michelle billingsly

Janice and family said...

You also suffer from denialitis. That may be what is causing your travelitis.
(Don't you love having friends who diagnose you? Especially those of us that have worse problems? Here is my new one - organizing the eggs in the egg carton. I just started that one!)

Stephanie said...

You know, Janice, you could be right! Although, in my own defense, the case this time was just underestimating the time it would take to prepare for travelling w/ 2 kids...now I know to allow way more than the 1 full day that used to be enough. Nursing can take a serious chunk out of you packing time! So, tell me exactly how you go about organizing those eggs, Miss OCD?

Amy Soupiset said...

Stephanie, you know I am a sufferer of the same, sad sickness. I have not found a cure even when I feel more organized and have made a list as Michelle suggested. Maybe we can start a support group or at least encourage each other before our next trips. I did it again on Sunday afternoon before I left for Austin. Paul was even there to help get (kick) me out the door. I have found it is the worst when there is a time constraint on the other end. If I don't have an expected time of arrival that always brings me down a notch. Love you my friend, you are not alone!

Anonymous said...

It's not ORGANIZING the eggs, as much as properly ARRANGING them. You make an imaginary line through the center of the refigerator egg rack, and make sure there are an equal number of eggs on either side of the line. If an odd number occurs on each side, then the 'odd egg' on each side must find itself on opposite sides of another imaginary line, along the longitudinal axis of the tray.

This gives perfect balance.

If you have one more egg on one side than the other, that egg must be discarded. I have thrown out hundreds of eggs over the year for that infraction.

Don't even get me started on the situation where you have brown and white mixed...or colored (Araucana) eggs...or duck eggs mixed in.

As you can see, this is not something you want to try to do at the last minute before leaving. It does take some planning.

Stephanie said...

Thank you, all of you, for your ideas and empathy. And especially to you, Dad, for your insightful egg-arranging tips.