A Magician without my bag of props
I packed 2 suitcases. 2. With great care, I packed 2 suitcases. ONe of them had all the essentials I needed to conduct my training. I had carefully placed 12 clear pouches. In each was a sample of a completed art project, a step by step guide on how to create that art project, and all the hard to find materials to make that project happen. In the rest of this blue suitcase that contained those pouches were my most expensive art supplies, the ones I went onto amazon.com to order, just to make sure I had. There were also all the bottlecaps and all the soda tabs. This was my treasure chest, filled with expensive bead making materials, and a huge bag of 400 wristbands that said in Arabic "Today, I can do anything."
Well, before I left to go to Hawaii to speak at the fundraiser, I left my two bags with Lina, who would meet me at LAX and check them in for me. I met her this morning and unbeknown to her and her dad, who thought both suitcases were just "art supplies", the extra $800 baggage fee made them decide to leave one behind. I don't blame them. IF I had no idea what was in the bags and how much time it took me to collect and prepare the baggages, I would have ditched the cost and bought art supplies in Lebanon with that money instead. That would have made sense to me. My fault for not communicating more specifically what was in each of those bags, other than "art supplies".
Well, they made a decision. To leave one bag behind. This was the one I needed. I write this not to complain, or to embarrass anyone. They clearly made a decision that sounded logical.If you didn't know about the care that went into those specific supplies, you probably would have made the same decision. I tell you this, because in my first post, I wrote "sometimes all plans must get laid aside."
Its happening. Im going in Improv mode. I still have the bag with all the greeting cards for the kids and all the markers, crayons, pencils, and little pendants my art students made. I am not going empty handed. But, Lina's Dad will be fedexing me the luggage. The adventure has already started... and you want to know the odd thing about all this? My experience with travel is that everytime something seemed like it was a delay or it was going wrong. it was actually the greatest blessing in disquise.
I now feel somewhat like an art refugee. I don't have my essential items with me and will be forced to make do with what I can there. I will manage. And it will be greater than I could have ever planned for. Because, sometimes the greatest plans must be tucked away and waved goodbye to. Sometimes... You have to improvise.
Everything I have is inside of my head. Everything I need I can figure out. Plans are changing. The teacher training schedule will be different. The program will be new to both of us now.
Lina is a friend of the family's daughter, who is quickly becoming my friend also. I am happy to have her along for the hard work we will be doing together.
Im in Frankfurt Germany now, catching our next flight into Beirut. I suspect I wont be posting but a quick post later on to let you all know I made it to my destination. Then, its improv time. Art will happen, God willing, just not in the way I had planne