Traveling…

I have always wanted to travel abroad, learning that my grandmother and grandfather immigrated from Sweden might have been the first notion of the idea. Sending my daughter to stay with a friend in Scotland was a big influence. Then sealing the deal was when a friend would regale me with details of hikes taken with her father in the UK. That friend mentioned hiking there this summer and I was in! The trip is approaching quickly and I find myself in an interesting place. Anxious, excited, yet savoring the days at home. Seems like the idea of leaving home makes you appreciate it all the more. The time with family, hanging out with my husband enjoying conversation. Having the opportunity to enjoy watching my oldest granddaughter’s piano recital (she played beautifully by the way). Making pancakes for my grandson. This morning’s walk with happy dogs who are always up for the adventure! Noticing the billowy clouds tucked right up against the mountains with a hint of blue to the west. Knowing that there is time for teaching yoga classes, bike rides and sessions at the gym before I’m off!

I imagine this approaching adventure will fly by. Anxiousness is evident in the thought, ‘I’ll believe I’m going when I’m actually on the plane!’ Remembering June 2020 when there were big travel plans, New York, the Big Apple! Well that year a lot of travel plans for a lot of people didn’t happen. It was a thing. It passed, we (my family and I) are more or less functioning similar to the years prior to COVID but there is an awareness that these things, these ideas, these plans are never guaranteed. Life is not a guarantee. Your life, how you think it should go is not a guarantee. People know this…where do you think we get all the sayings “…the best laid plans, don’t count your chickens before they hatch…you get the idea. 

Moving forward and mindfully taking a moment to focus, make the most of the day. Slowing my breath, being thankful for the rain, family, friends, my body that moves well. Joyfully hoping that I will be privileged enough to take this trip and find the gratitude to make the most out of my time with my friends on our journey. This travel will be life altering and illuminating. Find perspective. It is not everyday one gets to see another part of the world and meet some of the people who inhabit it!