I want to go to there

There are times when you're in an unpleasant situation that you can do absolutely nothing about.  For some people, this is a trip to the dentist.  Or a physical exam.  Or the nastiest, most horrific, panic-inducing test possible (otherwise known as a breast MRI).  Okay, that was a bit dramatic.  But seriously, that MRI was terrible.

When you're in a situation like that, you just have to get through it.  There are a little things you can do to make it easier though, and one of my favourites is to take a vacation in my mind.  I love to travel, so this is a good one for me.

For example, when I had the nasty breast MRI mentioned above, I could not move at all for 25 minutes.  I was trapped inside a machine making weird noises and rattling around.  I could have pushed the panic button to make it stop, but then I'd just have to do it again.  So after the initial five minutes of terror, I decided to just go somewhere in my mind.

This was in early July, and I knew that Ian and I would be going camping for a weekend soon after.  I love camping.  So I focused all of my attention on creating the perfect scene.  I tried to see it, hear it, smell it, and feel it.  I pictured Ian and I at our campsite, hanging out, having a beer, enjoying the campfire, hiking with our dog Isabel, looking at the stars, etc etc.  I was so focused, the MRI faded into the background.

When I'm recovering from my fat transplant, I'm sure to have a few unpleasant moments, where there's nothing I can do.  So I'm going to take a vacation in my mind.  I think I'll go to Scotland, where Ian and I had our honeymoon two years ago (really, it was our first anniversary trip slash honeymoon).

We've been talking lately a lot about going back.  I usually like to go to new places when I travel, but Scotland is so special to both of us.  We're planning a trip for May 2010 for two weeks.

Here are some photos from our first trip to Scotland (press "play" to see them), so you can see what I picture in my mind when I'm not feeling well.