Hi everyone!!
I'm back from my work trip to NYC. It an upbeat and life changing experience overall for me to do this and I feel a huge sense of satisfaction and confidence. I had a work meeting scheduled for Thursday with an important client and there was lots of preparation for this with my co-worker who lives in NYC. I would consider the meeting a success and I had the chance to personally meet many of the people I have only known through email exchanges and the phone. There is something about seeing someone and meeting them in person that just makes everything so nice. I hope they felt the same about meeting me!
Aside from that, I successfully navigated getting from my home in Maryland to a hotel in NYC all by myself, and that in itself was a big accomplishment. I don't travel much, and when I do I usually drive to the airport, leave my car there and just let the rest happen. This type of travel was a lot more active, a lot more figuring things out as they happen, and I started out an outsider and became an insider by the end! I feel very proud of myself for this.
I saw Hamilton - enough said! I'm so thrilled about it and can't wait to listen to the soundtrack at home and relive the experience. The people in my client's office were really interested in this and kind of jealous because they want to see it. I tried to explain to them the best way to get tickets without breaking the bank and I hope I gave them some inspiration to go. They really want to see it, a couple of them anyway!
Since I wasn't drinking at all, I was very clear headed and cognizant of everything going on. I was able to get a real sense of each city (NYC and DC) and watch the people and processes and get a feel for vibes of each city. Though I have been to both cities before, this trip was particularly interesting in that regard. NYC has a loud, crazy, sometimes crass and "in your face" vibe - it never sleeps (at least in mid-town where I was) and it had a perpetual party atmosphere, even at 11:00 at night after the show. I don't mean party in they way of drinking, just lively and wild and crazy. It's like a city on uppers or steriods. I like visiting, but there's no way I could live there. Of course my co-worker who does lives in a quieter part of town near Chelsea and she is not a New Yorker, but is becoming one. Washington DC has an opposite vibe - it's clean and organized, everything makes a little more sense. The taxi line is civilized and easy to spot, well maintained with a nice smiling man. The train station is immaculate and gorgeous. I loved feeling like I was coming home where things make more sense. Penn Station is a nasty pit of a place with people bumping into you and lots of bad smells. The taxi line was chaotic and though organized, hard to figure out, with a brash official yelling at everyone on where to stand and how the traffic should be flowing. It was such an interesting contrast overall.
There were moments of anxiety for me - like how am I going to manage all of this. When I felt that way, I just tried to think about: "What is the NEXT thing I have to do." And just really focus on that next thing, and nothing beyond that. When you break up difficult things into smaller more manageable steps, it really helps. Just a technique I figured out as I was going along and kind of getting anxious - and it works well!
There was never time to drink. I didn't think about it much. However, when my co-worker and I were having lunch and going over our presentation, we were at a cute little place that had salads, baked goods and yummy juices. I ordered a salad with zucchini noodles and a lemonade. While there, I noticed a couple near us and they were both having wine with their lunch. It looks so civilized and nice. And that's the thing that gets me and thing I have to figure out how to deal with instead of letting that seed plant in my brain and tell me that wine is "nice." So I'm glad I was aware of what I was doing.
I took some anti-anxiety meds last night because I was so anxious that my dog is not here. He is being boarded and I have to go pick him up this morning. Until he is back home and safe, I will not rest or relax. However, the meds did knock me out a bit enough to get some sleep and get til morning.
Sorry for such a long post - I have had a lot going on! I read everyone's post and can't respond to each, but want to say thank you for sharing your experiences! Frank14, I had a bit of a chuckle about you going out to get "butter." I had a similar thing going on - I used to tell the family I was going to the gas station to fill up the tank. They had no way of knowing whether I needed gas or not, so it worked great. Instead I would go to the wine shop and pick up a bottle. So I'm no longer going out to get "gas for my car" like I used to....
Hopefully will post more this weekend as I get settled back home. Thanks, everyone!