I admit it. I’m a control freak. I like to plan things. I like my spreadsheets. I like my calendar. I love spending hours comparing hotels, flights, restaurants … you name it, I’ll compare and ponder and eventually choose JUST the right thing (I hope!). I fill things in and expect them to go as planned.

But I DO know better. Honestly!

It’s like music in some ways. You can practice and practice. You can play something so much that it’s in your fingers and even when your brain goes berserk somehow the fingers just do what they need to do.

Except when they don’t.

I always marvel at the silly errors we can make — things that just, out of the blue, decide to punish us and humble us and, yes, embarrass us. Go figure.

And so it goes with travel. We plan carefully. We know just what we are going to do. We, of course, allow for the freedom to do some things not on the schedule, but we know when we’ll go, where we’ll stay, and we usually have particular events scheduled and paid for.

But sometimes what one plans changes. As has recently happened. We were to meet our favorite traveler companions and now they can’t make a trip so we alter things, and readjust. (And miss them horribly.)

But even now … well … with the airlines doing the stuff they must do even while the government shutdown has ended (who knows when it will all be back to “normal”, whatever that is) I am attempt to prepare myself mentally for more changes.

I have decided all of this is good for me: I need to be more flexible. I need to be reminded that things are out of my control.

But only a little. I don’t need TOO much reminding!

Pretty please/?!