I am so obsessed about trips sometimes and I prayed about it this morning. Note to self: I need to step back and let the chips fall where they may! I remember three times in my life where that happened to me and it was a relaxing adventure each time.
- The summer after my dad died, a parent of one of my kid's friends encouraged me to go along as a chaperone to Noah's Ark. I sideswiped a car on my way to the bus pick-up location. It turned out to be ok because it was a beater and the guy didn't care. I wasn't alert because of thoughts of sadness about my dad. But the day at Noah's Ark in the Dells was very relaxing and enjoyable! I took in all the joy around me, read my book, and realized life would be ok.
- When visiting my Mom in Arizona we planned to go to Laughlin. She knew a couple who would drive us but I wanted to go with just my mom, on a tour or something. She said "you will love Blanche and her husband". Turns out I did love them and it was a very enjoyable drive from Phoenix to Laughlin, lots of laughs, and once there my mom and I laughed until we cried and gambled and played roulette for hours. I'll never regret the trips I took to visit my mom in Arizona.
- I was invited spur of the moment by my friend Kathy to join her neighborhood friends on a trip to Vegas. I didn't know where we were staying or what any of the plans were, but it was great just to go along and let someone else plan everything. Wendy, Val, and others, floating in the lazy river, corned beef sandwiches at a deli, watching them all plunk coins into slot machines, and so much more. I didn't have to know a thing ahead of time to love it all!
So why can't I step back and let this Punta Cana trip come and go with a smile on my face? Why must I always research and find out as much as I can about the area? Why do I confirm our reservation and re-read the itinerary? So now that I've written this, I am taking a deep breath and promising myself to just relax and take each day one at a time, walk the beach, watch the waves, and laugh and smile with our friends.
2 comments:
When you start to feel anxious about needing to know "this or that" or researching "this or that" or making sure "this or that" happens or doesn't happen, take a step back, and remember these three instances in which you didn't put ALL your effort into "knowing" and instead put ALL your effort into "just being." Enjoy yourself. Be confident in your ability to have good random fun just the same as you have been able to have good random thoughts. Soak in the sun. Soak in the friends. Soak in the laughter. Those are the ingredients of a good time, not the itinerary.
Ditto on what Colleen said. AND, you are just plain lucky to get to go on these trips with so many fun people. And whatever you do will be wonderful! You are living life to the fullest - whether you just sit on the beach and chat and laugh or if you go on some tour.
Bon Voyage!
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