Relative Discomfort
Photo Credit: Marco Bianchetti
"The life of a human being, let alone his personal freedom, is a matter of no importance. But the love of freedom is native to every human being." ~ Władysław Szpilman
This year my guiding mantra in all aspects of my life is anything is possible. Last week I wrote about possibilities for healing when our thoughts are aligned with positive outcomes. I’m writing today’s blog from an Airbnb in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, and revisiting the theme of stepping out of your comfort zone in the context of travel. I hope my musings strike a chord with some of your experiences, dear reader, and perhaps have you considering your own relative discomfort.
Travel for me is one of those life paradoxes where two extremes collide. On one end of the spectrum, it is a privilege and exciting to embark on an adventure, especially to a new destination. On the other end, travel is often fraught with challenges of one kind or another— from sorting out details of booking flights and accommodation to enduring security stress. On Tuesday, I heard more than one of my fellow travellers lament the bygone glory days of travel.
Mister and I had booked flights with WestJet departing Winnipeg at 11:10. We decided to pack light (a decision that felt like freedom and restriction in the same breath) and to dress in attire that would be comfortable on the plane, but totally inappropriate for Winnipeg at -28 Celsius. Our Uber arrived on time, but across the street from where we were standing outside our front gate, where there is no parking, and had to do a U-turn, adding to my discomfort of freezing out in the wind and cold. He didn’t offer to assist with our luggage but sat in his cozy warm car while we loaded our bags into the trunk. The experience was unpleasant, but as I warmed up, my bad mood dissipated. We arrived two hours before take-off, check-in was a breeze, and security in the newly installed system went so smoothly, we were at our gate twenty minutes later.
Minutes before we expected boarding to begin, an announcement came on informing us that our crew was missing in action and our flight would be delayed until 12:30. Waiting is often a test of my patience, and the meagre options available at our small Winnipeg airport added to my irritability. We ended up purchasing coffees at Starbucks to pass the time over light conversation.
When we returned to our gate, there was still no activity. I noticed a WestJet flight arriving from Calgary, whose gate had been changed to be beside ours, and predicted that their crew was the one we were waiting for—and I was right! Hooray! But my excitement quickly diminished when boarding failed to ensue. A fellow passenger on his own approached us and proceeded to tell us his life story and express his strong views. At least it was distracting. But when an announcement came on warning us that there were twenty more carry-ons than would fit in the overhead compartments and passengers needed to check theirs or face the possibility of being charged later and creating further delays, I almost lost it.
Take a deep breath Lynda. I had to encourage myself, after an F-bomb slipped out and I voiced the above tirade to Mister. When the boarding process finally began, I felt like a cow, or perhaps a sheep or pig, being corralled and crated. I don’t condone such treatment of animals, and I certainly don’t appreciate being squeezed into too-small, dirty seats. No entertainment systems for a five hour trip and only pretzels, cookies and beverages provided free of charge.
Grrr… My discomfort was at max, my joy of the trip I was embarking on gone like a puff of smoke. I disappeared down my rabbit hole to endure as best I could, shutting out the world around me to find my calm somewhere deep inside me. Once the fasten your seatbelt went out, I retrieved my laptop, to which Mister and I had installed the WestJet Connect App before departing. We chose the outstanding, Oscar-winning movie, The Pianist, based on the true story written by Holocaust survivor Władysław Szpilman.
Watching a movie that portrayed the brutally inhumane and unfathomable treatment of Nazi Germans towards their Jewish neighbours instantly obliterated my travel discomforts, rendering them utterly irrelevant. What happened in World War II was as black and dark and evil and unforgivable and unforgettable as it gets. Humans failing to be human.
I wonder, do we ever learn? Or is history doomed to be repeated, over and over and over again? All around me, in this current, present-day moment, I witness division and hatred and we versus them mentality. And so I conclude today’s musings on this heavy note, completely out of character and unaligned with my purpose of encouraging others through my blogs.
My heart calls me to lament, to seek sanity when it seems impossible to find. I hold fast to my belief, that anything is possible, including change. The trajectory we’re on can be turned around, if we wake up, rise up and unite. We must agree to disagree and to never tolerate people aggressing against one another. We must consider our own relative discomfort and find our strength and determination to be a voice and to take actions rooted in love and light for all humanity. Let us not walk blindfolded into a third world war, thinking it will never happen.
COMING UP…
Books & Projects:
· In December 2025 I signed a contract with Austin Macauley Publishers for my manuscript, The Trials of Alex Anderson, a character-driven novel that explores the relationship between mental illness and trauma. I am now on the road to publication, with an expected release date near the end of 2026. I’ll be posting regular updates here on my blog and on social media, so stay tuned for exciting new developments.
· The Rogue Scorpion is available online at Amazon, Chapters-Indigo, and Barnes & Noble. You can also find it at select Chapters-Indigo and El Hombre de la Mancha bookstores.
Reviews & Interviews:
· You can read, listen, or watch a large selection of reviews and interviews on my website.
Events:
· There are no events currently scheduled in my calendar.
YouTube Channel:
WatchThe Rogue Scorpion trailer