Today I’m grateful for my own personal recombobulation bubble.

11.22.2024

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So you know that area in an airport, right after you pass through security? There are usually a few benches where you can sit and put your life back together after going through the TSA checkpoint. People pause there for a few minutes to put their laptops back in their carry-on bags, tie their shoes, or put their belts back on. I recently learned that this is called the recombobulation zone. Apparently the Milwaukee airport is known for having recombobulation zone signage to mark this very important area. Who knew?

Similarly, I often find myself needing some recombobulation time when I get in and out of my car. This happens most frequently in my school parking lot, but I’ve been known to do some car-recombobulating in other places as well – the Target parking lot, the grocery store pick-up lane, or even my own garage.

Sometimes I just need a minute or two (or 10) to sit in my parked car and get my life together. Sometimes this means driving to work, parking, and then reorganizing the contents of my purse as I mentally prepare for my day. Sometimes I pull into a parking spot, and I sit, sip on my coffee, and listen to the last few minutes of a podcast episode before turning off my car. Recently I sat in my car for 5 extra minutes before school to lock in the alto harmony line to my new hyper-fixation song. I’d been playing around with it during my commute and I needed to cement it in my brain so I could remember it for my drive home. Sometimes I need to get my head on straight, give myself a little peptalk, make a to-do list, or say a quick prayer before I go about my day. My after-school recombobulation time is typically spent sitting in silence and processing my day, or responding to text messages that I’ve ignored during school hours.

Occasionally I wonder if other people notice me sitting in my car in the parking lot and are curious as to why I’m not getting out or driving off right away. Who knows? I imagine they probably don’t give it much thought. Honestly, they’re probably in their own recombobulation zones getting their own lives together too.

I don’t always have an extra minute to do this, and I don’t always have the need to. But when I need a minute, I’m thankful for my little bubble of solitude, my personal safe-haven right there in my car in the middle of a parking lot.

Today after school, I sat in my car for quite some time before driving home. It had been a good day, but a very busy and very loud one. As I sat, I let the calm of my quiet car surround me as I moved from a very over-stimulated brain state to a relaxed, peaceful one. The time spent getting myself together made for a much better drive home and a much better start to the weekend. And for that, I am definitely thankful.