Home Sweet Home

Yesterday morning, I was standing in the cold rain on a street in Dublin trying to flag down a taxi. Today I'm baking in hot, sunny Los Angeles feeling drained and a little disoriented. I don't do well with time changes, hunger or long, aggravating days. From that Dublin street until I pulled into my parent's driveway to retrieve my dog boys, a full 24 hours passed without sleep and only one meal. The night before consisted of only five hours of sleep. I won't bore you with the details which involved a ridiculous number of connecting flights and security checks, not to mention being forced to sit for endless hours in a confined space. I'm a little claustrophobic and don't like sitting for very long. All of our luggage being lost in Chicago was just the icing on the cake. (My found luggage was delivered to my house this afternoon.)

My parents seemed alarmed by my appearance. They kept asking if I was alright and if the trip went okay. I insisted that I was just tired and needed to get home. Against their wishes, I refused to stay the night at their house and drove home. I was an idiot. I was having trouble keeping my car in my lane and even with the windows down and radio loud, I felt on the verge of losing consciousness. Not having eaten in about 10 hours added to the problem. (Some airlines are getting cheap with the meals.)

When I got home and looked in the mirror, I saw why my parents looked worried. I scared myself. I looked like a disheveled, wild-eyed, homeless person, albeit, somewhat better dressed. Without even cleaning up, I collapsed on the bed and the next thing I knew, it was today.

I'm relieved that there has been no change in Murphy's condition. Worrying about Murph and whether he would still be here when I got back didn't help my normally high anxiety level. I was not at all sure that I made the right decision leaving him. On the flights back, panic attacks over Murphy were becoming a problem, but I didn't dare take anything for the anxiety because it might have knocked me out and unable to function. I was barely functioning as it was.

Anyway, it's over and once I adjust to the time change, things will be back to normal. In the meantime, it's wonderful to enjoy the little things again that I used to take for granted, like hot running water, free grocery bags, wide car lanes, real salads, Splenda and my electric toothbrush. Don't get me wrong, I loved Ireland and will post pictures and write about it when I feel up to it, but it's just so nice to be home. It's not easy being a spoiled rotten American.