905th Friday Blog Roundup

Everyone I know has a travel horror story from this summer. I know multiple people who have gotten to the airport to learn that their flight was canceled. Others who couldn’t return. Many people who lost luggage, stood in long lines, or had their lodging reservations dropped once they reached their destination. We were super lucky because our outgoing flight was canceled, but we were able to make a second reservation at a different airport immediately. But that’s the thing: it’s completely random. And you don’t know.

It makes me want to stay home. Travel is supposed to be fun. Relaxing. It’s not supposed to be multiple weeks of nail biting, wondering how long you’ll need to spend on hold with customer service just to get from point A to point B.

I can accept that reality in so many facets of life. But not vacation time.

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Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

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And now the blogs…

But first, second helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “A Delightful Recommedation” (Finding a Different Path)

Okay, now my choices this week.

The Barreness begins with a story about a lost purchase, and it becomes a frame for things feeling small and close-in when she wants to see the path forward. She writes: “I am finding that my sights are set to a myopic level as of late. I am having a hard time seeing past the present.” It captures the frustration of the moment.

The Road Less Travelled is remembering her daughter, who would have been 24 years old this year. She begins by realizing what was happening in her life when she was 24. Job, marriage, new apartment — it is hard thinking about what her daughter didn’t get to experience. She writes: “My baby girl would be 24 later this year, in November, had she been born on or close to her due date. She never drew a breath, but her presence still looms large in our lives.” Abiding with her.

Lastly, Dear John has a powerful post about feeling like she’s in a state of waiting, even though she knows that what has happened has already happened. She tells him, “A few weeks ago, I felt like you were near – like you had your hands on my shoulders. I don’t feel you any more though. Maybe that feeling will return.” It’s a moving piece on loss.

The roundup to the Roundup: Staying home. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between August 5 – 12) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week? Read the original open thread post here.