photo credit: Carolin Rathbun, all rights reserved
As I’ve learned over and over during the past nine months I’ve been on the road, what I think should be the plan doesn’t usually turn out to BE the plan.
When I went to Portugal to ring in the new year, I had intended to stay until the end of March. Then in February I began to think about where I wanted to be for my birthday in May. Italy topped the list. Since I don’t have an EU passport or a visa for any specific European country, I can only be in the EU three months out of six. Therefore I needed to save time for May, so I cut my plan for Portugal short.
As I began to plan my Italian birthday, I closed my eyes and felt into where I really wanted to be on my special day. I saw myself sitting at table by sparkly blue water eating a delicious meal looking out at an inspiring and uplifting view. But every place I wanted to go in Italy didn’t fit that picture. And when I began trying to plan my Italian journey, it was frustrating. It was difficult to get where I wanted to go, partly because it was still a bit off season and partly because I wanted to go to less-touristy places.
Even though I LOVE Italy, something made me look at Switzerland.
The more I did, the more it sang to my heart.
The mountains and lakes were so beautiful, and I was excited by all the train trips I could take. I’d been to Switzerland for a few days before and wanted to return someday. It looked like that time had come.
As happens when I align with my heart’s desires, everything fell right into place. The route just seemed to work itself out, including one night in Italy just for fun.
As I write this, my time in Switzerland is about to come to an end. (Stay tuned for where I’m off to next.) And I can tell you, this has been an INCREDIBLE experience.
In 24 days I will have visited 14 towns and taken 9 train, 6 boat and 2 bus excursions, plus ridden on 2 funiculars and 4 cable cars. I’ve walked on snow capped mountains one day and found respite from the heat of summer-like days in the shade of palm trees only a few days later.
Every day has been a delight. The scenery, the people, the architecture, the weather — everything — has filled me with joy.
But the BEST day was my birthday…and the day before it too.
I was staying in Locarno in the Swiss part of Lake Maggiore. The day before my birthday I decided to take a ferry boat as far as I could go, which was well into the Italian part of the lake.
I decided to get off at the second last stop. Isola Bella is a small island with shops, restaurants, and a beautiful old villa with manicured gardens. And let me tell you, it was molto bella!
I found a place to eat and was shown to a table by the water. I ordered spaghetti and a glass of red wine (when in Italy…!) Then it hit me: THIS was my vision, including Italy!
I was so excited that I decided I would try to repeat the experience on my actual birthday.
During the boat ride, I’d seen two other towns that looked interesting so I decided I would have lunch in Italy and dinner in Switzerland. How cool is that?!
The next morning, I rushed for the 10:00 boat to discover that only the 9:00 boat visited that Italian town. The 10:00 boat only ran on Wednesdays. It was Friday.
It seemed the Universe had a different plan for my birthday.
I let go of my disappointment and began to wonder how the day would unfold.
I started to wander around town letting my curiosity lead the way. There were a lot of people in town. It seemed to be a holiday though shops were open.
I turned a corner and discovered it was also antique market day. I love European markets.
Several narrow streets in the old part of town were lined with stalls selling everything from vintage postcards and old coins to typewriters and garden sculptures. There were also a few street performers to add ambience.
I then decided to go to the neighbouring Swiss town for lunch instead of dinner. Rather than go by boat (which I could do), I checked the bus route to discover I was steps from a bus stop with a bus due in three minutes.
Ten minutes later I arrived in Ascona as the church bells rang the noon hour.
Along the promenade, I found a restaurant that looked appealing and took a seat at a table by the water. The sun was shining. The lake was dotted with sailboats and a ferry was pulling into dock. As I watched dozens of people disembark and fill the patios for lunch, I realized that had I come by boat, it was unlikely I’d have gotten this table.
I ordered my meal and took my time enjoying the food and the view. Again, THIS was my vision, except it was made even more special when I ordered dessert — lemon tart topped with meringue. The first bite took me right back to my childhood and my grandmother’s lemon meringue pie. It had been about 45 years since I’d last tasted it and I nearly began to cry.
I can’t logically or logistically plan these experiences, even when I try.
However, when I get out of my own way and allow my heart to my guide my days, weeks and months, the happiest of happenstances continue to unfold as if by magic.
Why not give it a try yourself?
Let your head take a break from planning every detail of your day and allow your heart to take the lead.
Go into your heart and feel into what you want. Then let your Soul and the Universe do the planning instead. Follow your curiosity and joy, then delight in the serendipities that begin to unfold.
And when they do, send me a quick note. I’d love to hear about them.
If you’re ready to start listening to and trusting the whispers of your heart but aren’t sure how to begin or you’d like some guidance, I invite you to take my on-demand course called, Write To Your Heart. It will help set you on the path to a heartfully happy life. To learn more, click here.
