Bizarre, yet true: if all goes as we've planned, next week Kerri and Angie and I will be in Vienna, probably taking pictures of feet. ;) Several months of frantic planning (okay, frantic mostly on my part), of research, of collecting possessions and possible luggage choices into little piles, and it's practically here.
This will be the first major trip I've taken without an adult. Visiting Rachel in Manhattan didn't count. Going to Austin for Sabrina's wedding didn't count. Visiting Kerri in Denver didn't count. Those were Friendly Visits. This is a Major Vacation, with hotels and trains and foreign currency and languages other than English. Not that I'm anxious.
Ha ha! No, seriously, I am indeed worried about this trip. I'm worried about the planes. I'm worried about the trains. I'm worried about the automobiles. I'm worried about John Candy...oh, wait...sorry, got on the wrong track. I'm worried about missing important deadlines. I'm worried I've set too many deadlines and that I won't enjoy the trip. I'm worried I'll show up at church in jeans and get dirty looks.
This morning the Sunday School teacher was talking about the relation of fear and faith. He talked about holy reverence, and then he said something like, "But it's also okay to hold on to God because you're so scared about doing anything else." Which is what, in the practical realm, I am doing for this trip. And I know that He has surprises there for me, and even if they're scary at the time, they will end up being really great things.
So, enough with what I'm scared about. I'm not just scared, I'm excited, too. (Maybe all great endeavors come with both.) I'm excited about spending a week with Kerri, a kindred spirit who enjoys most of the same things I do and can also calm me down when I'm getting too worked up about something. I'm excited about seeing places in England I've never seen before. I'm excited about being able to say that I drove successfully on the wrong...I mean, left side of the road. I'm excited about taking trains, especially the sleeper car between Salzburg and Vienna. I'm excited that my packing is pretty much done. I'm excited about my beautiful little trip journal that Lisa bought for me. I'm excited that I'm up on the church prayer list for this Friday, the day before I leave, and that church snacks for adults are ending this June so I won't have to arrange someone to bring cookies in for me when I'm gone. I'm excited about all the other "small" providences that I will witness over the course of the next several weeks.
Next Sunday, I'll be in Vienna. Wow.
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I tried to post a comment about an hour ago but had worked myself into such an excited frenzy I couldn't put a sentence together.
Anyway, most of my worring has concentratd on the getting us both to Chicago in time to make the flight to Vienna, which is somewhat crazy since we both have 3 hour lay-overs. And then getting us out of the airport in Vienna, and meeting up with Angie. So I have not thought much farther than the first 36 hours after I leave my house.
And I am sure we will have events where not everything goes perfect but there will be 3 of us to problem solve and good odds that one will stay level-headed with some perspective. And those things usually make the best stories.
And I note of detail, the sleeper train is between Salzburg and Paris. I am also excited about this - I had several people on Friday night tell me they always wanted to do that.
And trains now always make me think of Harry Potter so I will feel a little more connected to one of my favorite book series.
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