Monday, March 23, 2009

Getting braver!

The plan was for Aaron and I to head back home from Belgium on Sunday afternoon so he could be at work on Monday morning. But I was having a good time, didn't have anything to get back for and had the possibility of another two and half days with Maggie and John. So, I took a deep breath, said "I'm sure I can figure out how to get home on the train" and watched Aaron drive away. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but I am so Type-A that it really threw me off balance. I like to know what to expect and to have a plan well in advance of when I might need it. I had never taken the trains in Europe and I was banking on buying a ticket and making the trip solo!

On the other hand, I feel like I have been more scared in this last year than any other time of my life and it is exhausting! I'm tired of being afraid and I don't want to miss experiences and opportunities just because I couldn't be sure how they would turn out. Once I made the decision and got settled into a new hotel I felt really empowered. I had a great time, spent lots of hours talking with Maggie and deepening our friendship and saw more amazing things in Belgium! I sat alone at breakfast in my hotel one morning and was completely comfortable being there. A great feeling!

And on Wednesday morning, I hopped the tram that took me to the train station. I got on the train in Ghent that took me to Brussels. I found the train that went to Cologne. I switched to the train to Hamburg, and finally I got on the train to take me to Flensburg! One tram, four trains and they were all completely on time. It was about 12 hours of traveling and I arrived in Flensburg to find Aaron right there waiting with the car. Piece of cake!

2 comments:

MOM said...

You have always seemd brave to me....this just proves I am right! Good for you!

Craig R said...

glad to hear it was so easy. Someday I'll be taking a train from Hamburg too!