4 sleeps to go: what not to leave behind.

You just know when you start the day by setting your kitchen on fire its not going to end well.

Thinking I could miraculously whip up lasagna for dinner before work ( I know – I must have been in La La Land - it never pays to be so confident), I attempted the impossible by juggling just one too many balls resulting in the majority of said balls landing at my feet within the quarter hour.

Now…

We have smoke alarms that are a little overly sensitive - even for smoke alarms, and tend to go off if you even look at them when you are steamed, so I really only rolled my eyes when it started its now familiar wailing as I hung out the washing. It was more the panic in my daughter’s voice drifting out of the kitchen through the open window that went something like this … “Muuuuummmmmmmm. There’s flaaaaaaaaammmes.”

One quick sprint and one quick Wonderwoman feat later, the fire was out, my favourite pot was ruined and the kids were looking down the barrel of a heat n’ eat pizza for dinner. :(

What did I do? Go into shock? Lament the lost pot?

Nope.

I shrugged and got ready for work, having in the interim, lost any available time to pack for tonights whirlwind trip to Melbourne. There are just too many things crowding my headspace to let in what was now in the past.

Jump forward to now having finished my shift at work and racing home and enlisting reluctant teenagers to unpack groceries as I race around like a hairy nosed git reminding of rules and throwing random articles into my little wheelie case, kissing both babies and telling them I love them as I race out the door - ON TIME ( yes, I know this part is likely a shock) – for my journey to the airport.

Thinking to myself how this jetset lifestyle was a piece of cake, how it really quite suited me and how clever I was to find the elusive airport ( oh…. Ok… its big and hard to miss), finding an appropriately ‘under lights/not too far from the entrance/findable’ park and turned off the ignition with a satisfied twist.

I reached across to the passenger side and felt around in the dark for my purse. Nope. Must have put it in the back seat, which I often do.

Opened the back door and moved around my work clothes that I will need on my return trip but still no purse… not to worry, must be in the boot with my wheelie case.

And that’s where everything for the second time today went pear shaped.

No bag.

No flight confirmation printout.

No money.

No ID.

No time to backtrack and get it,

And no tissue for the threatening tears of dismay.

Just my keys and my clothes.

What to do?

After only a moments passing panic I decided that I needed to get inside that terminal and somehow check in without any proof of anything ( which incidentally, I miraculously managed) and then with as much panic in my voice as I could muster ( and really that wasn’t such a stretch) secured a free phone call home to check that I had indeed left everything of value at home.

Um… that would be a yes. :(

Millie answered the phone and informs me in a ‘take charge’ kind of voice that she had it all sorted and she’d arranged safe passage for my missing essentials to be delivered to me in just enough time for me to still board the plane and avert an expensive disaster. ( for which I am eternally grateful Virg – I owe you one mercy dash…. Oh ok…. at LEAST one)

And it needs to be said ….. Millie sweet pea, you are a champion. :)

Who knew I’d done such a great job of raising a teenager who responds well under fire? Very proud of her I was … and not just a little bit relieved.

And if nothing else, I’ve managed to test drive my readiness for a longer sojourn which unfortunately at this late stage, is still something I need to apply myself to in the next 3 days to make a better job of it.

I arrived in Melbourne in one piece, on time albeit with my travel guru cred seriously crumpled but thankfully not irretrievably damaged.

Am I ready for the Big One?

Hell No.

But I still have 4 sleeps to get it right.