Don't Watch The Clock; Do What It Does. Keep Going

True Sam Levenson, as much as I wanted to stay fully present, it had turned into just being able to reach the finish line.

The day had arrived, and it was starting to feel like we just needed to survive for the next 22 hours until we arrived in Valencia, where my kids would be safer and would find a greater purpose. 

I was determined to enjoy every bit of it, but it rapidly developed into jumping from one obstacle to another! 

Departing from the U.S., I had several concerns: one was ensuring that the airlines coordinated our travel with our cats after confirming we had the necessary documentation. Five minutes into checking in, they came back to say they would not accept our furry family to travel with us! They claimed the system showed the partner airline would not allow them to travel in the cabin. Hell no! We had done everything right to bring them with us, and after pushing for them to figure it out, they did. 

But my biggest worry (and the cause of a couple of nightmares) was getting through the U.S. Border and Customs Protection without any delays, mostly because their guidelines were changing so fast, even for permanent residents who were travelling abroad. Thankfully, we went through without any issues and left Charlotte behind. In New York, everything went great, and we boarded our plane to Madrid! Olé!

We had not fully figured out our immigration status before moving, and even though my son is a Spanish citizen, all efforts to get his passport had been completely fruitless (the first taste of Spanish bureaucracy). Everything relied on his Spanish birth certificate in case anything were to happen; if only I had given it to him! 

When we landed, we got separated from Val because Coletta (my daughter)  needed special assistance (a wheelchair), and they would only allow one person to stay with her. They took us through a different wing of the airport, and I felt awful; it felt like I was abandoning Val to cross a new continent on his own without the one document that would make it all easier. We could not stay fully connected through our cellphones because he didn’t have service, and he was not connecting to the airport’s wifi! I decided to focus on getting Coletta to the gate, and I would go look for Val then. I was extremely concerned by then. 

After riding the airport’s bus around planes and runways, we got off and went through border protection; no lines, and one single person stamping passports (too easy). I decided to use the restroom before going to look for Val. By some miracle, he walked right by the area where Coletta was sitting!

I came out, saw him, and I wanted so hard to cry, but I held back; we still had the last stretch to go until we reached our gate. I arranged with the airport’s personnel to look after my daughter on the next bus, and promised to meet her at the gate. Val and I took off and ran what felt like a marathon, which was at least 18 minutes away! Oh, and during all this time, we had been carrying a cat each! Well, Dorito rode on Coletta’s lap mostly; it was Purrito and Eros who suffered all the shaking, tossing around, and near-death experiences (according to them, probably).

One thing was consistent during this hectic day, and it was my eagerness to build something great in Valencia. I was determined to make it worth all the trouble we had gone through, including leaving behind the lives we loved so much. Eventually, it took shape, ironically led by my sadness…

Our purpose.

Talk to us.