TRAVEL ANXIETIES

Is it just me or do others also get a bit "tense" when it comes to travelling? I love vacations and am so happy once I am "there" but I get so up-tight thinking about the rush of the airport, fearful of having too much weight in my suitcase, setting off a buzzer due to a belt buckle or boot hooks, loosing a wallet or purse ... having our airplane cancel the flight due to a feeling of the pilot that "something just not being right" (not that I would want to go up in it in such a situation) and having to find an alternate route, having to battle the big city traffic in an unfamiliar city to boot, etc., etc. Perhaps its because I have experienced such things (all that I italicized) and perhaps its just that I don't like the "unknown". Since we are into backpacking, I get a bit fearful of the "unknown" that the trails may hold for us: blisters, a sudden rain storm catching us unawares, a trail we might venture onto only to discover when we come out the other end that it has been closed because of storm damage and it is considered impassable (remember, Kelly?); mosquitoes that might decide to try to eat me for lunch (although repellent usually takes care of that! :) a swollen river that presents a challenging crossing, a ridge trail that tests my endurance beyond limits ... etc, etc. And here we go on another backpacking trip ... our longest time out ever with 4 to 5 nights in the wilderness and a report from a fellow trekker that saw 3-4 bears a close proximity just this past week on the trail we plan to hike. I've always wanted to see a real bear in the wilderness, but not too close at hand!

The scriptures challenge me not to worry about tomorrow. I try not to. I must focus on the joys of the tomorrows: a moose coming up to the roadside to munch grass so we can get pictures, the mountain top panoramic views of God's awesome creation that cannot be given justice through a mere verbal, or even photographic, description ... You just have to be there to FEEL THE AWE OF IT! Huh, James and Kelly?; the time away from the pressures of life with no television, work, etc. to distract me from "true living", loving, and enjoying experiences with the one I love most .... my hubby! ... and on occasion being blessed with the joys of having my children and their spouses (hopefully someday grandbabies) with us to enjoy it all! GOD IS GOOD!

Knowing what "lies ahead" helps me to endure the "tensions" of getting there .... just like in real life! But I sure don't like the journey to get there sometimes. I wish I could just shout "beam me up, Scottie!" and be transported in an instant to the joys that await me. But I know that all the trials on the way will "be worth it all". Sounds like a sermon, doesn't it? Hee Hee!

Have a great journey wherever your feet may take you. I plan to!

I actually enjoy the packing and planning