Was anyone else out there raised by Depression-era parents?  Growing up, if we were lucky enough to go to the movies, forget about spending money on popcorn!  I’m not a penny-pincher these days, but I realize my parents’ attitude toward money has had a lingering effect in some areas, such as travel.  That’s why I’ve been blown away on our current trip to New Zealand by the arrangements my husband put together.

nzA few months ago when it was time to get serious about planning this trip Down Under, I was busy giving readings, writing, and planning for my new workshops.  No problem.  Ty does all the logistics for our summer tours, so he happily took full responsibility for planning every aspect of our three week adventure.  For weeks he sat at his computer surrounded by maps as he came up with an itinerary.  “How’s it going?” I would ask as he booked travel arrangements and hotels.  “Just fine,” he would reply.  From time to time he would talk about a particular destination and show me points on the maps, but that was the extent of my involvement.  I kind of liked it that way.  I know him well enough to trust that he would handle every detail.

We’re used to traveling by RV.  Before that we traveled by boat for five DSC_6979years.  Any travel beyond that included the occasional B&Bs, but we were pretty much Hampton Inn kind of people.  Now I’m wondering if that’s because I was involved in the planning.  Take me out of the picture and what happened?  Ty pulled out all the stops.  This is a “Bucket List” trip for us, so I guess he wanted to do it up right.  Last night we had a mini apartment overlooking Lake Tekapo.  The night before was a beachfront cabin in Hokitika.  Tonight?  I’m looking out a huge plate glass window at the snow-capped peak of Mt. Cook with not another building in sight.  Had I done the planning, I’m sure we would be at the motor lodge farther down the valley right now.

Big points.  That’s what Ty gets for ditching the “We shouldn’t/we can’t” attitude when planning this trip.  It’s a huge lesson for me, and one that translates into a big spiritual point for all of us:  We humans set goals for most things in life.  It’s good to plan, but if we leave the details to a higher power, the execution of the plan often turns out far better than anything we might have come up with ourselves.

imageI’m living every second of this trip in the Now.  I haven’t asked where we’re staying tomorrow or the day after that, and I’m loving the surprises.  It’s a whole new way of being for someone who used to be the aide to a general, but there’s a lot to be said for the whole “surrender and allow” thing.  And gee, that seems to make Ty happy, too.  My mother is right:  he’s a keeper!