Dreamtime Wellness™

Promoting Optimal Wellness for Body, Mind, and Spirit

From Cuba, With Love

by

From Cuba With Love. Great place to visit. Warm friendly people. Beautiful art and music scene. But with weather causing travel havoc and an unexpected cancellation, I envisioned having to send out an email  – “Trapped in Cuba. Please send money.”
Unexpected Cancellation. After an interesting educational music tour of Havana Cuba, we were planning to head home last Saturday. Only to learn a huge winter storm was affecting travel in New England. At first it looked like we might just sneak in before the storm. But by late Friday night, our direct flight from Cuba to Boston was “cancelled due to weather.” Since Jet Blue only flies direct once a week, we were potentially stranded in Cuba … :O
Stranded in Cuba. What do you do?  Cuba is not a bad place to be stuck, but without a cell phone or computer we couldn’t easily book a flight. I was off the grid in Cuba by choice, but now wishing I had a phone. We also were almost out of cash, and you cannot use U.S. ATM or credit cards there.  We scrambled to find an alternate flight to Florida. At least in Florida we would have access to ATMs, credit cards, a hotel computer and phone.

Serenity Now. The Serenity Prayer, the reiki (gokai) precepts, self-reiki, self-hypnosis, meditation and positive thinking came in handy to help decrease the stress response to our predicament. Weather is never in our control. The only control we truly have at any given moment is our own thoughts and our perception of any situation.
Serenity Prayer –

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

(excerpt of prayer attributed to Reinhold Neibuhr, 1892-1971)

Grateful for the Kindness of Strangers. Now friends! People we met on the trip helped to book and pay for our international flight to Florida. Thank You Caran and Morgan!!! <3
 
More Fight Cancellations. NO FLIGHTS to Boston for 4 days! Stuck in Florida is generally something to look forward to, but they were having a cold snap, the beach was off limits for a couple of days, and we needed to get back for work. Our week long trip was turning into two!
 
Think Positive and Make the Best of a Situation. Things could be worse! We could have have been routed further north with no winter clothes. Newark only 12º ! Again, through the Kindness of Strangers (now friends!) we were invited to a party for the Pats – Chiefs game in the comfort of a beautiful home and watched the Pat’s Win!! Thank You Stella and Sean!!! <3
 
Homeward Bound, I Wish I Was. Finally! Due to take off 4 days later, our flight is again DELAYED with more weather issues around the country.  After a a short delay and relaxing chair massage, we were off to Newark Liberty airport, one step closer to home! Maybe …
Drones, Diversions and More Delays. DRONES Close Down Newark Liberty Airport. Our flight is diverted away from Newark and on to D.C. for fuel. Waited 1 hour to refuel. Refueled. Began to pull away from Gate. Computer issue. Back to gate. Able to reset computer. Routed back to Newark. Flights to Boston delayed 2 hours, so we’ll make our connection! Safely land in Newark. Then MORE DELAYS, waiting for new refreshed pilots to arrive. Finally, 3 hours late and ONE DAY LATER, we take off for Boston!
 
HOME AT LAST. Arriving 5 days later than originally planned, sleep deprived, a bit weary and sick, but with wonderful memories of Cuba, the people we met, and friends we made. Very Grateful for the Kindness of (though no longer) Strangers.
‘Attitude of Gratitude.’ I am grateful to our American and Cuban hosts and tour guides, Dan, Miguel, Orlando, Deleo and Pedro. The Cuban music instructors, their families, and all the other people we met, both in Cuba and Florida, that made our trip fun and memorable.  #Gratitude #AttitudeofGratitude
Grateful to the crew of Jet Blue, SouthWest and United Airlines, and all the TSA employees that showed up. Our lives and safety are truly in your hands! Throughout the trip, these people went out of their way to help out, provide care and calm, and get us to our destinations, safely.
‘Meditation Rock in a Storm.’  Gloucester MA. © 2018 Dreamtime Wellness Photography.*
‘Calm in any Storm.’ Throughout the whole ordeal, except for one very tired child on the plane, people remained calm, helpful and pleasant. Nothing we can do about the weather.
Negative reactions to stress can be controlled through our thoughts, re-framing perceptions, and learning various relaxation techniques.
Cognitive behavioral therapy and integrative healthcare tools such as meditation, self-reiki, self-hypnosis can be learned. When practiced regularly, these self-care tools can be used to help calm the mind and body more quickly, relieving. stress and promoting relaxation and wellbeing.
Contact me for information on stress management, hypnosis, meditation, reiki and other relaxation techniques – Phone 978-283-4258 Email: info@dreamtimewellness.com
For more on Cuba, follow Dreamtime Wellness on Facebook. 😎🎼
*Photography for Inspiration and Meditation available in various sizes, framed or unframed. Contact us for details and to order.

The Gokai; Words to live by. Part of daily reiki practice, learned in 1st Degree Reiki. Recited twice daily in gasshō meditation.
Enjoy today,  Karen

Karen Pischke BSN, RN, Alumnus CCRN, Author, Speaker, Nurse Researcher, Certified Hypnotherapist, Tobacco Treatment Specialist, Usui Reiki (Master) Teacher/Komyo Reiki Shihan. Owner/Founder of Dreamtime Wellness LLC. Your Bridge to Health. Promoting Optimal Wellness for Mind, Body and Spirit. Karen is a registered nurse with a background in critical care nursing, cardiac rehabilitation and risk factor reduction, wellness and integrative healthcare. Incorporating a collaborative, integrative approach, Karen strives to educate and provide evidence-based services and self-care tools that improve health, happiness and wellbeing. www.DreamtimeWellness.com. Find us on Instagram and Facebook

Disclaimer: This blog pro­vides gen­eral infor­ma­tion and dis­cus­sion about health and related sub­jects. The words and other con­tent pro­vided in this blog, and in any linked mate­ri­als, are not intended and should not be con­strued as med­ical advice. If the reader or any other per­son has a med­ical con­cern, he or she should con­sult with an appropriately licensed physi­cian or other health care worker. Never dis­re­gard pro­fes­sional med­ical advice or delay in seek­ing it because of some­thing you have read on this blog or in any linked materials. If you think you may have a med­ical emer­gency, call your doc­tor or 911 immediately. The views expressed on this blog and web­site have no rela­tion to those of any academic, hospital, practice or other insti­tu­tion with which the authors are affiliated.