The planning is done, and the excitement is palpable. It’s time to hit the road. I find the journey is always so inspiring – from the beautiful scenery along the route, and simply being able to see how other people live. There are so many things you miss when you fly.
Stage 2: The Inspiring Trip
Driving down to Prince Albert can be quite a haul, which is why we like to push ourselves on the first day to make the rest of the journey a little easier. We often face a solid twelve hours of driving on that first day, but we plan for it by making sure we’re well-rested in the days leading up to the trip. By taking care of ourselves beforehand, we’re able to tackle the long drive with greater ease and arrive at our destination feeling relatively fresh and energized. It’s all about pacing ourselves and being strategic in our planning.
When the children were still very young, we would leave before sunrise so that we could just pile them into the car in their pajamas and head off early, making for a peaceful journey. As they got older, we kept up with this routine, as it allowed us to arrive at our destination during daylight hours. This gave us a chance to take a quick walk before settling in for the night and ensured a relaxed start to the next day’s journey. We always looked forward to a delicious breakfast with a piping hot cup of great coffee before embarking on part two of our trip.
Do you suppose it always went according to plan? Not a chance! Sometimes our trips were absolutely awful. One year, despite careful planning, I fell ill shortly before our holiday in the Karoo. Poor Gary ended up driving most of the way there, meaning he was exhausted and just as grumpy as me! Not an ideal start to any holiday.
The Treat
On another occasion, we arrived in Gqeberha for our first night as planned. We had a great evening wandering around the area in which we were staying and had a good night’s sleep. The next morning we woke up to no electricity! Load-shedding, as we call it, in South Africa. Breakfast wasn’t a problem, but we so wanted a hot cup of coffee. Determined not to let this unforeseen irritation get the better of us, we consulted Google Maps and found a Seattle Coffee Company about 2,5km away. But did they have electricity? We couldn’t be sure, but made the most of a beautiful winter morning and set out, walking in the general direction of the coffee.
To our great joy, Seattle Coffee Company had a generator! After paying for the coffee, we headed for the pier. It was a beautiful morning, and the ocean was glistening in the gorgeous rays of the sun. As we were standing there, we noticed a dolphin, then two, and then another, leap out of the water. Before long, a whole school of dolphins was enjoying themselves right in front of us, playing in the waves. Watching them was so inspiring! Eventually, we had to leave and go back to our cottage to pack up.
Lack of coffee is not a life or death situation, but we could either go without and complain, or we could make a plan. We chose the latter, and it resulted in us being treated to an amazing experience we would have otherwise missed.
We have a choice in how we react to situations. Stay positive, make contingency plans, and discover unexpected joys that you might have otherwise missed. Look for the inspiring lessons you can learn as you travel the convoluted journey of life.
