I enjoy business trips
I enjoy going on business trips. Traveling can be a lot of work, yes, but it is also fun to see other places, renew old acquaintances, and meet new people. Breaking up the office routine is also refreshing, and I always come back re-energized. Occasionally, I even get to do some sightseeing, which is like an added bonus.
After a certain point, though, the trips become draining. Not physically, but spiritually.
The problem is this: when I leave home for a business trip, I leave an important part of myself behind.
Even though I don't think about it all the time, there's a person who has been an important part of me for almost 14 years now. That's close to half my life. In a way, she's like oxygen to me. I don't always notice all the important things she does to sustain me when she's around, but when she's not there, something isn't right.
I find myself wishing she was was with me. There is so much I'd like to do and see and talk about here in Manhattan, but there doesn't seem to be much point without her.
A nightly phone call helps--thankfully, we live in an age when this is possible--but can only do so much. The sound of her voice helps sustain me until tomorrow, but can't replace being with her, touching, hugging, kissing, or just soaking in each other's presence. I suppose if we lived in a different age, we would be like John and Abigail Adams , writing letters to each other to replace that part of our souls which were missing, but the modern method has its advantages.
The first time I had to be away on business was about 3 years after we were married. Up until that point, we had hardly ever been apart for more than half a day since our wedding. Somehow, I survived. I spent close to five years in an investment bank, which had me traveling nearly every week. Somehow, I survived that, too, though the birth of our first child made it even more difficult.
Fortunately, my travel schedule now is not nearly as grueling as it once was. Even so, a full week away from home leaves my soul starved for oxygen.
I may complain about having to get up to catch a 6 AM flight, but I would walk to the airport if I had to. It is the love of those around us which makes this life joyful, and it is only when I am home with her and our children that I am truly surrounded, filled to overflowing, with that love and joy.
Tomorrow, I go home.