Every bite is a bridge home.

What airport delays taught me about anchoring, digestion, and trusting the body’s timing.

We landed here. But the real arrival started long before this view — with rhythm, breath, and a thermos of hot water.

Larry and I just got back from our trip to Positano, Italy.

We did a fair amount of planning before we left: He found the flights and accommodations, and I spent hours planning out much of what we’d do there. It included hiking the 3.5 hour Path of the Gods, a cooking class, a visit to the grottos around Capri, walking the gardens of Ravello, and dinner reservations at a few suggested places with many left intentionally open to seek out the unknown gems as we walked through the different neighborhoods of the Amalfi Coast.

Pathways, grottos, sea, and slow meals — we planned a lot, but we also left space to wander. The best digestion happens when there’s room for wonder.

Taking the time to plan for trips is obvious. At the very least, you decide on where to stay and a few places to check out.

But here’s the big question –

Do you plan how you’ll feed your nervous system while in transit?

Just as your morning sets the tone for your day, planning this can set the tone for your digestion and nervous system throughout the trip. In fact, digestive issues are a common complaint among travelers.

Supporting your digestion and nervous system lets your body absorb the trip as deeply as your senses do.

This lesson — to plan the transit — took many distraught airport and taxi moments for me to learn. Those were the moments I’d start getting off rhythm, and before I knew it, my nervous system would start crying for help, and I’d make less than ideal decisions to try and soothe it.

This begged the question:

What if the real reset isn’t in the destination itself but in the layovers and delays between gates?

ON THE WAY TO ITALY –

We had an 8:40 pm flight out of Chicago.

While we knew we were getting dinner on the plane, an 8:40 pm departure meant a late dinner.

So we decided to get dinner down the street from our house at 5:30 pm, taking our luggage with us so we could hop into an Uber from there to get to the airport. We live in a Chicago neighborhood called Little Italy, so we thought it would be fun to have an Italian dinner in Little Italy before landing in Big Italy. How fun is that? Also, it was dinnertime. Rhythm.

We got to our gate just in time for boarding.

But then, over the next hour, 3 delays.

In the end, we didn’t end up boarding until 10:25 pm.

Thank God we had dinner. Had we not eaten, hangry wouldn’t describe how I would have felt, and Larry would have gotten the brunt of it. Airport options don’t nourish, and anything that might come close to it never seems to be near our gate.

Travel doesn’t break your rhythm. It reveals it.

Larry and I both have a strong rhythm that helps us flow through situations, no matter how irritating. I can say this because rhythm is what provides the right kind of nervous system energy, both mental and physical, to move through chaos without falling apart. This doesn’t mean we’re like the “energizer bunny” – it means we also know when to let go and rest. We have it at home, and it carries forward into our travels.

The gaps, I found, were in transit – the part we seem to have the least control over when it comes to keeping food rhythm. It’s easy to identify the gaps when rhythm is strong because the contrast is there.

On that note, we can’t perfectly plan for everything. So I bring just-in-case snacks with me.

For this trip, it was cashews and a cut-up Asian pear. Real food, not bars —some people pack power bars, I like to pack prana. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at the long food lines at the airport offering choices that would completely insult my nervous system. This is not to say I don’t, from time to time, “indulge”. But I like to have options, and I’m always thinking, what will help me maintain steady energy? Because when I don’t have that, my pitta roars, and I don’t like what I become.

No bars, no buzzwords. Just real food with rhythm. Because some of us don’t pack power bars — we pack prana.

I also always bring an empty heat-retaining thermos. Once I get through security, I ask Starbucks to fill it. During long wait times and delays, this is like a warm hug that soothes, hydrates, and grounds. When there’s no wait time and we go straight to boarding, I have a flight attendant fill it for me with a slice or two of lemon.

It’s sattva in a thermos — warmth that travels with me, reminding my nervous system: we’re safe here too.

WHILE IN ITALY –

I kept my hot water bottle freshly filled, and it went with me in my day bag when we’d be away for most of the day – the 3.6 mile hike preceded by a 50-minute drive to get there, and visits to the coasts and islands we could only get to by boat.

I don’t like relying on Americanos and limoncellos to keep me “hydrated.” When I have coffee and spirits, I like to choose them.

Hot water helps keep digestion regular, detoxes the body, and soothes the mind and nervous system. All good things to tend to while traveling.

TRYING TO GET HOME –

Our flight was cancelled, then delayed many, many times before we even checked out of our hotel. At one point, I had asked the hotel if they had a room available for another day in case we needed it (they didn’t). We called our driver to let them know of the change in pick up time at least 4 times.

Our final meal in Italy — wrapped in rhythm and paper stamped “Made with love.” Not just a sandwich. A send-off.

We took some warm sandwiches with us before heading to the airport anticipating further delays – this was our final meal, a portable, airport-friendly one, made with love from Positano. Meals on-the-go aren’t just about macros or menu items; they’re about holding rhythm in chaos. And my hot water kept nervous energy at bay, which meant no emotional snacking using vouchers offered by the airlines. After going through security, we sat down and enjoyed our sandwiches. It was less about eating at the airport and more about anchoring. There’s a difference.

While in Terminal B, each bite became our bridge home.

The delay was such that they actually offered wine near our gate. We had made friends with the couple standing next to us. Contact info was exchanged. Did we enjoy a cup of wine together? Absolutely. Were we happy about the delay? No. But when you stick with rhythm, it keeps you sane… because you’re no longer trying to control every variable. Instead of working against time, you’re working with your body.

Here are some things I like to ask in transit —

• Am I hungry, or just anxious?

• What would settle me: food or warmth?

Mini-practices (before eating):

• 3 sips of hot water

• 3 deep breaths to pause and get present

• Say to Self: We’re okay now.

• Say to Self #2: I no longer try to control every variable. I work with my body, not against time.

When you feed your rhythm, not just your stomach, you travel differently. You’re not just getting through delays, you’re digesting the experience. You’re not just eating, you’re anchoring. Because the real nourishment isn’t found in perfect meals. It’s found in how you meet the imperfect ones.

—Savitree
Your Guide to Food as Medicine: I’m here to help you unlock your natural vitality through the power of food and mindful living.

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