Travel

I like to see different parts of the world but I don't like to travel. I need to have things familiar around me and going to a new place always throws my system off. My husband, Michael, loves to travel so I try to deal with my difficulties. Sometimes, I just let him go alone which he doesn't mind at all.

This past week, we went to visit my family in Kansas City. It was wonderful to see them since it had been so long. The picture above is of my 90 year-old grandmother. We didn't think to take a picture of my whole family. I had some quiet time with my grandmother and it was wonderful to hear stories from her earlier days. It's a time I will always cherish.

Since I am sensitive to noise, I wasn't happy when I saw a baby on our 30 minute flight to Atlanta. I love babies but I knew he/she would cry which is what happened. I used my ear plugs but they didn't help much. We had a break in the Atlanta airport before boarding our next flight to Kansas City. Atlanta is a big airport and it was crowded which was another challenge to my over stimulation issues.

Unfortunately when we boarded the plane, our waiting wasn't over. There was a a warning light on in the plane's control panel so the pilot couldn't take-off until he figured out what it was. Of course this caused the passengers to joke and laugh. I just wanted to get out of the noise but of course this wasn't possible.

The trip reminded me again how glad I am to have a small family without a lot of screaming kids in it! Perhaps I would get better at being in so much stimulation if I was in it more. I can now drive on the highway when I couldn't in the beginning and that is because I pushed myself here in Asheville to do this. I also can handle large crowds better now. I do use compensatory strategies when necessary but if I had a big family with lots of children, I would have to use them much, much more.

If you have a brain injury, it it difficult for you to travel? How do you manage this? See above right for commenting instructions. I still am unable to comment here do to a glitch but if you'd like to hear from me feel free to email me at puffer61@gmail.com