I compare the daily life of a woman to an assortment of complications and jubilations. A miscellaneous collection of complications and jubilations fill my days. I am certain, darlings, that your days are similar. Some are a mishmash of unexpected events and some are like the finest silk. I believe that eventually, our complications are solved and our jubilations abound. Of course, this is not accomplished without one’s positivity and effort–and in my case, walking.

Oftentimes, complications make us shake our heads. It is during these times that we must remain cool, calm and collected. Here is a peek into what occurred at the beginning of our trip.

The Story of Complications and Jubilations

My ultimate concierge and a few friends flew out of O’Hare International Airport to Heathrow, transferred to another flight to Nice and then drove to our destination Monaco. The plane was over an hour late departing Chicago because the crew arrived for our flight later than anticipated. Normally this would not phase me, but I was a bit concerned we would miss our connection to Nice.

I know Heathrow well. Several of its terminals require bus service. We ended up arriving over an hour late and our next flight was in Terminal 5. We were in Terminal 3. Racing through the halls, we followed the signs to 5 and were fortunate to find that a bus was already waiting. Of course, we had to go through security, where our second problem presented itself.

The Briefcase Incident

My ultimate concierge’s briefcase needed to be checked. There was a line before us and we began to worry we might miss our flight to Nice. Why was I worried? Two years prior, we had missed the connection and had an 11 hour wait for the next flight.

When they opened my husband’s briefcase, it turned out that the toiletry kit American Airlines gave us was the culprit! She knew what it was, but insisted she take everything out. Each individual item, from toothbrush to floss, was placed in an individual, translucent plastic bag and it went through another security check. We told her our situation, but she did not bat an eye. We did make our flight and we were jubilant.

My Missing Suitcase

Safe and sound, we eventually arrived in Nice. As we went to baggage claim to gather our luggage, all was gathered but mine. This, I realized, could become a big complication. I immediately had a  flashback of our trip to Mexico, when one of our friends lost her luggage for five days. I envisioned a nightmare of not having any clothes with me for this trip. We were traveling with friends and I felt badly having to fill out forms for the airlines to track down my one suitcase that had everything for our trip including all of my makeup.

I was in tears, but I hid them from our friends and the people around us. I kept talking to myself in a positive manner that all would end well and fortunately it did. They found my luggage in London and I received it later that evening. I was jubilant.

Walking Is My Saving Grace

I am a walker. While living in Honolulu, I started walking four miles daily. I had a walking partner; his name was Ben and I have written about him. He was old enough to be my father–a law professor at the University of Hawaii, very bright. On many of our daily walks, Ben was my teacher. On other days, silence permeated the air and I surrounded myself with sounds of the sea and smells of the salt air.  It wasn’t long before I concluded that walking was going to be both my saving and spiritual grace. I was in my late 30s. Today, I am a grandmother to 27 grand and great grandchildren and walking is still my saving and spiritual grace.

Walking daily is akin to breathing. I cannot and do not want to stop. Honolulu and Ben were in my past life. Walking was in my past life and remains an important part of my present life. After Ben, I walked with girlfriends until Orchid Good came into my life. She was a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier and my last walking companion for over eleven years. Oh, the miles we covered. She was my beautiful and loving pooch who passed away a year and a half ago.

America Good is my new walking companion, a delightful year-old male Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier who I have given the title Mayor of Pearson Street. My walks each morning flow through the changing seasons with America–instead of Ben and the ever changing Pacific Ocean and the salt air.

Why Should A Woman Walk

Every woman owes it to herself to take time out of her day to walk. A woman who walks alone knows the important of taking time in each day for solitude. Time alone with one’s thoughts always answers some unanswered complications. I have personally had many ah moments. A woman who walks maintains her health and has peace of mind. She takes pride in her appearance and has greater self-composure because walking relieve stress.

Lastly and of great importance, having a dog with whom you can walk is a privilege. For those of you who have a pooch, you know what I mean. For me, I treasure my special  time with America. I am so happy and grateful to have him. He is a treasure and so is walking.

How do you deal with the complications and jubilations that present themselves in your life? Does walking help you too? Join the conversation in the comments below or on Facebook and Instagram.

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