My friends and family ask me all the time… How do you have the energy for everything you do. The honest answer is… I have no idea. I just show up. At 62, that’s really all I can hope for.
I try not to think about it or analyze it too much. Looking at it all and trying to think about how busy I am, makes everything seem so daunting and unmanageable.
My flying schedule keeps me hopping with as many as six or seven working trips a month. I try very hard to limit myself to no more than six, but every now and then it ends up being more. Depending on how one looks at it, my flight schedule can be a blessing and a curse. I work predominately international flights. I almost never work domestic trips at all anymore, because my seniority allows me the flexibility to work which ever I chose, and I generally chose overseas trips. The blessing is that I only have to work one flight out and one flight back. These legs are generally longer but the up and down of multiple legs in one day tends to wear flight crews down. Additionally, I get to see other countries and experience other cultures. Definitely, one for the positive column, for sure. The downside however is the multiple time zones. Depending on where I start from these time zones can be anywhere from 4 to 12 hours different from my home time zone. Additionally going west verses east can seriously affect jetlag and my sleep schedule. I joke about the fact that my circadian rhythm is more like a punk rock concert than the harmonious symphony it should be.
Now, apply this schedule to life outside of my career schedule. I am also a writer with deadlines, edits, and research to do. Recently, my publisher sent over edits for my second book for me to work through. I generally try to work on these and get them back to my publisher within 10-14 days. However, my work schedule was so intense, I had to message my copy editor and let her know that I was going to be late. Sydney is great and was more than happy to extend patience and understanding my way. Because I had so few days off that when I was home, I needed to sleep, unpack and repack my suitcase, do laundry, meal prep, and still find five minutes to work on my manuscript. Oh, and spend at least a few minutes with my son, whom I hadn’t seen but mere hours all month. I can’t work on my publisher’s edits while on layover because they work from Google Docs which depends solely on Wi-Fi to save the instantaneous changes I make to the document. And well, as some of you know… hotel Wi-Fi is not exactly … dependable. Therefore, I can’t depend on the Wi-Fi to save my work as I go. Which unfortunately leaves me with the days off in between my trips, which are few.
The solution- One day at a time. Relax. Just breathe. I do keep a daily planner notebook, of course, to make sure I don’t miss anything important, but I try desperately not to stress over how much time I do or don’t have to write. I make sure I fly enough to pay the bills and set aside a few dollars for retirement and rainy days, but other than that I have quit trying to fit “life” into a specific box. Mostly because the size of that box changes from month to month. One month that box is huge with a lot of open space… other months it’s so tiny that I have little space to fit in even my work schedule. I just work with what I have, and well, that is good enough for me.
Donna Fera
AuthorDonna Fera‘s writing invites readers to explore unknown worlds alongside courageous heroes as they face thrilling challenges and uncover hidden secrets. With a Bachelor of Arts in History and Anthropology from University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Donna is able to take her readers on amazing journeys that draw upon her background in research and learning practices. Combined with her experience in the airline industry and special projects, Donna creates stories that captivate readers with their combination of organizational detail and customer service resolution. Join Donna on this remarkable journey!
