This past weekend I landed in my favorite in City in the world: NYC. I had been looking forward to this trip for weeks. Expectations were extremely high. I was to go shopping, unwind in Central Park, and above all eat at all my favorite places (Caracas, Kati Roll, Magnolia Bakery, Madras Mahal, Genaros).
After a week of extremely busy work, I was sooo ready. I even shared a bottle of Prosecco with a colleague after school to kickoff Spring Break. As the night progressed, however, things started going wrong. I was too tired to pack and my thumb was inflamed severely which made it difficult to do easy everyday tasks. I somehow got ready and went to bed. I woke Saturday morning feeling like ass: sore throat and achy. I was hoping that it wasn’t what it really was: the common cold.
I was heading to NYC without my most important tools the sense of smell and taste! The first day there wasn’t too bad. Lunch at Caracas- one La Jardinera Arepa and a side of Yo-Yos. We walked around in the rainy city, came back to our hotel and chilled. I woke on Sunday, however, irritable from the a restless night and in pain. I was desperately irritable and angry. This is a consistent issue with me. When I get a migraine or the RA acts up or a cold, I get crazy-feeling completely out of control and panicky.
This year I thought I finally rid myself of this feeling by taking the day off anytime I was sick without remorse. However, being on vacation after being so burnt out from work and ending up sick is the most frustrating reality. I spent the morning rolling around feeling guilty for being sick on vacation and keeping N from roaming the city. This is all crap because N doesn’t care what he does on vacation as long as he gets rest and good food. Yet, I continued to feel like a bad person for getting sick (completely aware of the insanity of this feeling).
After we got lunch, I got to thinking about vacations as a child (walking the streets of my old neighborhood get me reflective fast). When I was younger, vacations were few and far in between. Dad didn’t really believe in them. When we did go, we would try to do as much as possible on these trips. Therefore, anytime I go on a vacation I have this unrealistic and uncalled for expectation to do everything and make this vacation/trip the best ever. This got me thinking about my truths/beliefs about vacations.
Truth: vacations can be relaxing and be the best trips ever.
Truth: sleeping and resting in a hotel room is part of being on vacation.
Truth: it is fine to start your day at Noon!
Truth: if the only thing you accomplished that trip was to eat the best food in the town and had some amazing conversations, then you have had a fabulous vacation.
If these are my truths, then why was I so frustrated when I woke on Sunday morning? Because old ways of thinking take time to change.
Although, I didn’t have my sense of smell or taste for that matter, I still ate at all my favorite places. Here’s another truth: When I am sick, I taste only intense flavors so pizza or normal pasta sauce, etc taste like shit to me; However, a Kati roll I can feel the chilli taste fresh on my tongue, the buffet at Madras Mahal (the only restaurant in the US that comes close to food from India!) I can taste the simple dishes with complex combinations of spice and ghee…mmm ghee- They even had my favorite dessert: Semia!
Yes I was sick, but this forced me to take the mornings to relax and roll around in bed and read and order breakfast in!
Truth: I came back feeling rested!
