Worry won’t get you there
Dr Tom Mulholland is an Emergency Department Doctor and GP with over 25 years’ experience in New Zealand. He’s currently a man on a mission, tackling health missions around the world.
My favourite place in the world is the airport departure lounge. I said that once when I was interviewed by a travel magazine. I remember losing a few DCUs (Domestic Credit Units) at the time, as being home with my partner was probably the correct response. The departure lounge is my favourite place because I love flying, travelling and having new adventures; the feeling of the unknown road that lies before me. The destination is known, but not the variables of each trip, which most of the time is what makes it so exciting. I love to escape to new horizons and taste new destinations, the thrill of getting lost and found, and lost again. And that is where I am writing this. After two hours’ checking in, with all sorts of delays, I’ve made the sanctity of the lounge and am surrounded by fellow travellers, all connected via blue tooth and wireless, frantically getting off their last emails before heading in all sorts of different directions, but all up into the sky. We have survived multiple passport checks, loaded five bags, repacked and waited. We have watched some people self-destruct under the pressure of closing check-in times, children be threatened with the naughty corner, and battled with computers that didn’t like our details. I have often thought there may be a place for counselling services at airports, at times when the stress of travelling boils over, tempers fly, and upgrades are declined. Getting stressed will not change the
Getting stressed will not change the fog, fix the engine, or hurry the cabin crew. But a good dose of Healthy Thinking helps.
fog, fix the engine, or hurry the cabin crew. Having a good dose of Healthy Thinking helps.
Being rude will not make you friends or get you anywhere quicker, except the dog box. One of the problems with travelling is expectation. If we do not get what we expect, it sends a discharge down the ‘‘worry circuit’’ and activates the ‘‘grumpy unit’’. When two grumpy units collide, often inflamed by lack of sleep, lack of planning or lack of understanding, it can get messy.
I remember once being grounded due to an ash cloud from a South American volcano erupting. Any disappointment, frustration, anxiety or anger was not going to appease the volcano gods and change the fact that we were not flying anywhere anytime soon. A TV crew was interviewing stranded passengers. One family claimed it had ruined their entire holiday, which I couldn’t understand as they had just left home and had three weeks to go.
As much as I love flying, I’d rather find a hotel or even a park bench, than fly through an angry ash cloud of an erupting volcano at 36,000 feet. Sure enough, the ash cleared a few days later and we all went on our merry way.
And on that note, our boarding call is made. I’m off to a medical conference in San Francisco with my 20-year-old son who is on his first trip to the States. Having lived and worked there as an intern before he was born, I’m excited to show him around. The departure lounge is still my favourite place, as we both escape to a new adventure ahead.