Jet Lag

This blog entry is lovingly dedicated to Shannon S.W., Marion K., and Shanny O--very loyal blog followers whom I have greatly disappointed during the past several months. May this be the beginning of a beautiful run of blogging!

I'm back! Since it's 4:30am in Taipei, I'm inspired to blog about jet lag and travel. (Hopefully this will still make sense when I am not longer under the haze of jetlag (hereafter indicated as JL). Those of you who have flown outside your own time zone will have experienced this to some degree. Now, I've heard that it takes at least one day to make up for every time zone you pass.

When I still lived in the US, I used to have the opportunity to visit my grandparents in Arizona every spring break, which was, of course, absolutely lovely! (I miss you Gramps and Grams!) Difference in time zones from MN to AZ = 1-2 hours (depending upon the status of Daylight Savings Time). JL irritation level = 2 (out of 10, with 10 being highly frustrating), and I'm honestly not sure whether it was true JL irritation or just being completely exhausted from school.

Since MN is located in the Central Time Zone, a trip to either coast means changing my watch 2-3 hours in some direction. JL irritation level = 4. I think this rating stems from the fact that figuring out the time to make phone calls during convenient hours is a bit more difficult. Also, even this minimal time travel can mess up sleeping schedules a bit.

I've had several opportunities to cross the "Little Pond" (aka the Atlantic Ocean), and the JL experienced by these adventures moves up into a much more intensive irritation level. Usually, I would say trans-Atlantic travel JL irritation level = 8. (At times, it may even surpass trans-Pacific JL due to other factors, but for the most part it still lands in the frustrating but endurable level)

However, if you've ever flown to an international locale that is at least more than 10 time zones from your place of departure (as I have on quite a few occasions now), you're in another level of jet lag status altogether. Trans-Pacific journeys by airplane are, in my humble opinion, the high scorers of the very accurate and scientifically measured JL irritation scale: JL irritation level = 9 (and only because some other form of travel, such as space travel to the moon, may take the highest honors for JL irritation.)

I would love to go back now and elaborate on the various levels of jet lag symptoms; however, since I'm at a level 9 at this present moment, I'll just too "irritated" to do that right now! I'll just list a few characteristics of a Level 9 Jet Lagger:

1. My head feels like it's filled with cotton, feathers, cement blocks, legos, bowling balls, spider webs, warm water, and jello. Yep, it really does.

2. Sometimes it feels like my brain has some sort of clog. At times, I catch myself just staring blankly....thinking about nothing and remembering nothing. Then, other times, it's like my brain was doused with Drano, and stuff just keeps zinging out and out and out and out, and thoughts are swirling and looping and having a huge party. Unfortunately, the "Drano brain" usually wakes up around 1:00am and refuses to let me sleep.

3. I crave chocolate and caffeine. I'm quite sure that this is not just limited to JL, but it's a pretty good excuse!

4. Napping during the first few days of JL recovery isn't so good. Just trust me on this one.

5. JL makes you slee.... (sorry, I nodded off ....)

I know there are lots of other symptoms....but honestly, it's now 5:10, and I've just been staring at this screen for awhile. Unless the Drano brain shows up again, I think I'm done.

G'night or G'morning....I guess it all depends on where you are in the world (both physically and mentally!)

For those of you who are awake, check out this part of one of my favorite Psalms. Maybe King David had done some traveling too.....

Psalm 77: 4-6
You don’t let me sleep.
I am too distressed even to pray!
I think of the good old days,
long since ended,
when my nights were filled with joyful songs.
I search my soul and ponder the difference now.