Today I am flying back to Spain in the mist of social distancing, the rapid growth of the Coronavirus, and governments going on lockdown.
7 AM Writing
I am writing this post at 7 AM EST in the Tampa, Florida airport.
My wife is in Barcelona. The rest of my family is in the US and in Germany. Everyone is concerned and no one knows what’s about to happen. This article is partly for them.
Writing is my therapy. I have not alway written but what I found is the more I organize my thoughts into an article, the better I feel. Writing helps me think and work through personal and professional concerns and ideas.
My first flight is at 8 AM. I should arrive in NYC by 10:30 – 11 AM.
My second flight is from NYC to Barcelona which leaves at 5 PM and hopefully arrives in Barcelona at 6 AM (CET). Assuming no changes, I can be at my home in Barcelona by 7 AM (CET) on Monday. That gives me an hour before the current lockdown in Spain at 8 AM (CET).
I would be lying if I wasn’t a little bit stressed and anxious.
If you have met me before, you might have noticed that I try to spin most negatives to positives. If I live in the negativity too long, it dramatic impacts my ability to do much of anything. I am not sure where it comes from but it is definitely something core to me.
On the flip side, I have been running as many dooms day scenarios as possible preparing for potential travel changes.
What happens if Barcelona airport shuts mid flight, before I leave, etc?
Will the US airlines / government further restrict movement before I can get to Spain?
If Spain shuts can I fly close and then take a train, boat, or hike it. I know I am being ridiculous thinking about all of this.
If I am able to get there, I will most likely need to lock myself in a room for 2 weeks. I want to be as cautious as possible while at the same time needing to move.
It is a changing world right now.
If I was with my wife in the US right now, we would just be staying. However, I always told her that I would come find her wherever she might be. I mean that and I will do what I can to get back.
I am washing my hands frequently.
Trying not to get too close to people.
I always distance myself as much as possible in airports. I like corners where I can feel like people are on top of me.
Took vitamin C this morning.
I have dollars and euros on me.
I have done everything I can to protect myself and protect others around me while at the same time needing to fly. I hate this feeling and wish we weren’t in this situation globally.
However, we can prepare, we can reduce the potential for issues, and we can just try to breath a little.
Updated: 12 PM in New York City airport (JFK)
The flight to New York City (JFK) was smooth. I haven’t flown Delta in a while but it was actually pretty relaxing. It might have been one of the quietest flights I have ever been on. It was about half full but no one talked. Everyone pretty much kept to themselves.
And there was plenty of soap.
Not sure why I am excited about soap…
Once I got to JFK, everything was empty:
The Airtrain.
The passageways to the terminals.
The departure area of Terminal 8 in JFK.
Terminal 8 at noon on a Sunday.
Since I have about 5 hours left until my flight to Barcelona, I bought a day pass in the American Airlines Admirals Club.
I found a spot with a view away from people and now am getting to work.
I can’t spend my time thinking about what is happening. I need to work on solving problems around it. That will keep me focused on something productive and hopefully will help others as well.
It’s time to focus now on a few projects and distract myself from the day. I’ll check back in while I fly.
Stay safe everyone. Stop watching the news or at least limit to once a day. I am a strong believer of being careful with what you feed your mind. Help your neighbors. We are all in this together.
Here is to a day full of hopefully uneventful travel. (They are starting to call boarding now.)