What Is This Recombobulation?
In my last post, I shared how I was feeling the need to recombobulate after all the discombobulation that COVID 19 invoked. I have seen this word at the General Mitchell Airport on a sign that hangs just after you get through TSA and wait impatiently for your belongings as you get all your clothes back on so you can arrive to your gate on time.
General Mitchell Airport in Milwaukee - Recombobulation Area. Original text by Brew City Online.
Being a Milwaukee girl, it was cool to learn that this “word” - recombobulation - was actually created by the former director of the General Mitchell airport Barry Bateman to help put a smile on people’s faces as get their things together after moving through TSA . Here’s a little bit more on this little fact https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/recombobulationsigns
I took a trip a few months ago and as I sat down to put my clothes back on and tie my shoes (when will I learn to wear slip-ons for travel?), I looked up through my mask wearing fogged up glasses and saw this familiar sign and thought wow, doesn’t this sum up how we are feeling after all we have experienced the last few years?
I began to observe my fellow travelers as they got through security and thought how their various reactions related to where many of us are in this journey moving to along to our next destination.
Some were visibly filled with a panicky and stressed feeling, trying to desperately know what will happen next as they downloaded their apps, looked at screens and googled flight times to ensure they had everything under control.
Others glided through the process, seemingly unscathed as announcements comes through that their gate has changed or their flights were delayed. They seemed to have had a calmness and a faith about them, just rolling with what happened, assuming all will work out in the end.
Some were angry. Angry at the whole process, or that they had to throw away their 2 liter bottle of Mountain Dew they just bought. They were angry that their flight has been cancelled and their plans have been thwarted. They lashed out at others as everyone tried to avoid ey e contact while they witnessed their tirades.
Others just sat there – waiting for something to happen. Perhaps they were waiting for others to join them and tell them where to go. Maybe the stress of what they just experienced was just too much so they simply needed a moment. Or, maybe they just felt kind of stuck. Stuck somewhere between there and here and they need to process what’s happening before they can move forward.
In my “post pandemic” recombobulation, I have related to each of these travelers. I’ve tried to control what couldn’t be controlled, I had moments of calm confidence, I’ve been angry and I’ve just been kind of numb - unsure what to do next.
How about you? Have you have been recombobulating? What have you learned so far?
#recombobulationtime #visitmke #yourpivotalpoint