Off Track…

Although it’s said that often times redirection can take you exactly where you need to go, trust me that is not the kind of detour you want when everything is unfolding perfectly according to your plans. Charles and I were on day three of our three-day journey from Florence Italy to London UK. Even though we could have made the trip in a single day we were in no rush. With time on our side, we chose to enjoy the journey, breaking it up with overnight stays in Lyon and Paris, taking it all in with ease and flow.

Everything was unfolding exactly as meticulously planned, and we were feeling good, relaxed, excited, and ready for the final leg of our journey. Arriving early for our Eurostar departure allowed us to breeze through boarder control with time to sit back and relax before boarding our train. We talked, laughed, chatted with people around us, and soaked up one of those moments when you simply love the adventures life has to offer.

Life was good, everything was on track, and London was calling, or so we thought!

This was our first time riding the Eurostar; and it couldn’t have been a more pleasant experience. The journey was smooth, comfortable, and just over two hours long. As the train drew close to London, my excitement shifted into into overdrive. I could hardly wait to see our apartment in Leicester Square and begin our London adventures.

The first hint that something wasn’t quite right came when I typed the apartment address into Google Maps at St. Pancras Station in London and nothing popped up. “Oh, my goodness, Google Maps is glitching again.” No big deal, I thought. I know how to get to Leicester Square, we’ll just take the train there and pull up the directions once we get there. Our host, Tim had told us the apartment was only about a five-minute walk from the station, so… easy-peasy.

Well, that’s where things got very interesting. After climbing more stairs than we could count with our bags in tow, we finally found a quiet spot to stop and pull up the route to the apartment. Google Maps loaded, I typed in the address, and then I saw it…

Walking time: 1 DAY.

Wait… what?

Oh, this can’t be right. I’m literally standing outside Leicester Square station, no way! I immediately texted Tim, and he sent me the apartment’s location pin. Sure enough… it really was a one-day walk away or just over an hour by train. Tim’s next message was a gamechanger stating the apartment was in Leicester, England not London. As I read his text, my whole world went black for a split second. My thoughts accelerated into overdrive, and in an instant, every carefully made plan flew completely off the rails.

In less than three seconds, my mind went from “it’s celebration time!” to “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

I wanted to burst into tears right there on the spot. But I knew crying wasn’t going to solve anything, it would only fuel an emotional situation with more emotions. Besides, it was hot as all get out, and I probably would’ve passed out from dehydration before I finished crying anyway. (LOL)

Okay, so clearly, we had a situation. My mind immediately shifted into solution mode, and I honestly give thanks for Charles Woody. His calm spirit kept me grounded in a moment that had completely veered off the meticulously planned path I had mapped out for us. Right then and there, I took full responsibility. I texted Tim that this was on me because, truthfully, it was. Tim’s listing was correctly advertised, my eyes just read what I wanted it to say!

I chose to see the moment as an opportunity to walk my talk. Charles and I knew everything was working for our highest good, even though it didn’t look or feel like that in the moment. We had reached a crossroad, and the options were simple: keep going or find another way. Charles and I felt at peace with continuing the journey, trusting that we would arrive exactly where we were meant to be.

Now, don’t get it twisted, the decision itself was easy but living it out in real time was another story. The reality was uncomfortable to say the least and from that point on, the journey got a little bumpy. Here’s the thing, once we let go of what we thought the journey was supposed to be and accepted it for what it actually was, everything shifted. We got back on track it just turned out the train was heading in a different direction, and we were okay with that.

Speaking of trains…

All of this was unfolding during a heatwave that caused widespread train delays and cancellations across England. What should have been a simple one-hour ride from London to Leicester was anything but simple. Every option seemed to come with another hurdle, and the ticket prices reflected it. The prices were outrageous a fare that was around $30 one way was now as high as $300, pinch me somebody this is a dream right!

So, before making another decision on purchasing a ticket, we paused to regroup, grab a bite to eat, and activate a plan of action. Inside the train station we found a crowded pub, yet somehow there was one table waiting for us right beside a large window, we were grateful for that space.

For the next five hours we sat in that pub and made the best of an unexpected detour. We enjoyed delicious food, stayed hydrated by drinking plenty of water, and even treated ourselves to a couple of pints of Thatcher’s Cider. Instead of stressing over everything that had gone wrong, we settled into the moment and focused on what came next.

Eventually, we were able to secure seats for a reasonable price on a later train that would arrive in Leicester just before midnight. Although it wasn’t the journey we had planned by then we had completely accepted that sometimes getting back on track simply means being willing to travel in a different direction.

What was supposed to be the shortest travel day of our entire trip had turned out to be the longest. We arrived in Leicester just before midnight, as we stepped off the train and headed toward the exit, we were physically, mentally, and spiritually exhausted. Thankfully, the apartment was only about a five-minute walk away, and at that point, five minutes felt like all we had left in us.

As we walked out of the station, I noticed a couple standing off to the left. The man started waving at us and I alerted Charles and whispered, “let’s get out of here…fast!” My thoughts were, this random man didn’t know us, and midnight didn’t seem like the ideal time to start making new friends. (LOL) Before we could change directions, we heard the guy call out… “Charles!” We both stopped realizing, it was Tim!

Oh my goodness! Tim and his girlfriend Soph had come to the train station to meet us and walk us to the apartment. We were completely blown away. Without hesitations they grabbed our luggage, walked us the few minutes to the apartment, made sure we got safely into the apartment and turned with a simple goodnight walking away to their place.

That simple, unexpected act of kindness erased the stress of the day in an instant. After all the wrong turns, delays, and unexpected twists, it reminded us that the best part of any journey is often the people you meet along the way which can make a tough journey worth it.

The apartment was just as pictured actually even better in person. By the time we got settled, sleep came over me so fast I don’t even remember my head hitting the pillow. The next morning, I awoke to the most beautiful, welcoming natural light streaming through the windows. In that quiet moment, I smiled with gratitude, knowing without a doubt that we are exactly where we are meant to be. I shared my sentiments with Tim/Soph in the following text:

“We absolutely love this apartment and the location… We were meant to be HERE!” So glad we came and did not try to correct what was obviously not wrong”

Thanks for Reading! Stay tuned and check out Love Drops Podcast YouTube Channel for shorts to give you a glimpse of the adventures in progress!

~One Love Diane/Charles!

“It’s not where your dreams take you, it’s where you take your dreams.” ~Maya-Angelou