"Who were you before you met the partner you loved and lost? I found one answer to that question for myself on vacation. In my last post, I was preparing for an epic road trip with my dogs, driving from Texas to Oregon to spend a couple of weeks on the coast. Although I have traveled alone a great deal, I was extremely anxious about this trip."
"Before setting off, I was afraid of being afraid. I was afraid of something happening to my dogs. I was afraid of being lonely. I wondered why I'd committed to what was actually a pretty grueling trip. Why couldn't I just fly somewhere and check into a nice hotel like a normal person? I was afraid that, along with Tom, I'd lost my travel mojo. I had to draw on all my courage to go through with the trip."
I drove from Texas to Oregon with my dogs and felt extreme anxiety about traveling alone after losing my longtime partner. I feared for my dogs' safety, feared loneliness, and questioned why I had undertaken a grueling road trip rather than flying and staying in a hotel. The journey required courage and persistence. The drive included long cramped hours, getting lost, almost running out of gas, an allergic reaction requiring a clinic visit, and a dog hospitalized for five nights after ingesting sand. Despite challenges, travel confidence returned and a neglected piece of personal identity resurfaced.
Read at Psychology Today
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