Last May I was reading for pleasure for the first time in ages. The book, Kook: What Surfing Taught Me About Love, Life, and Catching the Perfect Wave was a graduation gift from a friend who knew I wanted to spend the summer surfing. The story took place mostly in Baja. While still reading it, I was having a meeting with Reading Glasses co-editor, Amy Holiday, who said she hoped we could wrap up the project before she went to Baja the following autumn.
“Baja! Wow, what a coincidence. I am reading a book that takes place in Baja right now. Who are you going with?”
Amy wasn’t going with anyone, so she invited me. I could hardly believe it. I asked if she was absolutely certain at least a dozen times and then dragged her out to my garage where I asked my husband, Mike if I could go, pulling that famous of kid tricks of asking your parents permission in front of your friend to increase the likelihood of a yes response. Amy’s presence or not, there was no denying my excitement that the Universe was in line and I was meant to go surfing in Baja! Mike gave me the go ahead and I bought my airfare the next morning.
I was finally going to see the Pacific. I was going to Baja. It was a sign that this really was the summer of surfing. The experience belt was getting another notch! My dreams of travel were being realized. I daydreamed about it for the rest of the summer.
Then, on September 15, Hurricane Odile ravaged the Baja Peninsula. The resort we were to stay in the following month was damaged and our reservation was canceled. I was crushed, but there was no denying that it just wasn’t the right time…
When it came time to adjust my airfare, the resort still hadn’t reopened and Amy couldn’t reach anyone about rescheduling. I had ten days to change my airfare or forfeit the $600 credit, and I had no idea where or when to go. I had to go somewhere by June 1, a year from the day I purchased the tickets. Reluctantly I changed my international airfare for the most domestic (and safest) location I could think of with no set plans or confirmed travel companion: Florida.
All the long winter, sunny Florida remained on the horizon, an uncertain trip in my future that gave me anxiety and slight heartache whenever it crossed my mind. The timing was bad for my husband to join me and I could think of few things more depressing than going to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter alone. It’s just money, I convinced myself. So I decided to forfeit the airfare credit and go somewhere where being alone made sense and wouldn’t be depressing. I decided I would go on an R&R retreat at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Western Massachusetts, my own little adventure and birthday treat.
And yet it never moved past the idea phase. A little over a week ago I realized I needed to get a move on with these plans. I still hadn’t canceled my flight or booked my retreat. I began second guessing everything. Manhattan, the shore, Vermont… What did I want to do? Where did I want to go? I had my first week’s vacation in well over a year coming up and I had no idea what to do with it, and I was still torn about throwing away $600 worth of airfare. I even looked into flying to the retreat just so I wouldn’t waste it, but transportation from Albany airport was impractical.
The June 1 deadline was breathing down my neck. Wherever I went, I had to go soon and decide fast. Laying on the floor, irritated by my dilemma, staring at the ceiling and talking out loud, my husband interjected. “Why don’t you go see your brother?” I sat up, squinting as my brain processed this idea.
“That’s brilliant. Why didn’t I think of that?” Within 48 hours I changed my airfare for the third time in almost exactly one year. I would go to Colorado and visit my brother, Joey, who was surprised and excited to have me. We would have our own adventure and I would get to see new things and I wouldn’t be alone. It was a win all around. I leave this Friday.
This trip was a year in the making, and involved a lot of uncertainty and a total lack of enthusiasm. Now, things are certain and I am excited. When I explained my plans to my friend, Kathy who knew how much this had all been bothering me, she smiled. “You had to sit with it for a while,” she said. And I was reminded that things happen when they are meant to, and some stories take a long time to develop.
I thought the Universe had given me a crystal clear sign with Baja, but the longer I sat with it, the more it shifted and evolved. It’s like when someone smiles at you, and that first impression is wonderful, but then they sit near you and you realize they smell bad and the spell is broken. You want to get up and leave, go sit somewhere else. But then they explain they were helping a stranded baby seal and can’t wait to take a shower, so your opinion changes again.
I will get to Baja when the time is right. Or maybe I’m meant to go to Bali instead… The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will still be there next year. Right now, it’s time to go see my brother. I would not be going if it wasn’t for this cancelled trip to Baja and who knows how many more years would have gone by before I’d see him. If everything does in fact happen for a reason, then all is right in the Universe.
I just needed to sit with it all long enough to hear the rest of the story.
