I love Portugal.

The beaches. The people. The sunshine. The general absence of urgency.

I’m embracing it wholeheartedly.

Until I’m hungry.

Or, more accurately, hangry.

Southern Thomas is perfectly happy to sit in the sun, order something and see what happens.

Northern Thomas would like an estimated delivery time.

This is particularly ridiculous coming from a man who has driven across Europe without much of a plan, regularly changes destinations because he likes a beach and occasionally spends an entire afternoon doing absolutely nothing.

But let lunch take longer than expected and suddenly I’m a project manager again.

I don’t want to rush anyone. I just think we could benefit from a few clearly defined stages.

Order received.

Food being prepared.

Food approaching.

Perhaps a brief status update.

The embarrassing thing is that I genuinely love the slower pace here. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy travelling.

I just apparently believe it should be optional.

And preferably not tested when my blood sugar is low.

Portugal is teaching me to relax.

Northern Thomas has requested a meeting about the timeline.