When in Rome

Funny how life plays out when you embrace the unknown. Last night I received an invitation to travel to Italy and France next week. In the past I would have thought things through and maybe even talked myself out of going, but not this time. My response was a simple, “Yes.” I made sure this decision was cool with my wife and work, and thankfully everyone was supportive. I'm still amazed at how life can take such interesting twists in a moment.

Next thing you know I’ll be running in the streets of Rome, Turin, Paris, and Lourdes and wondering how I ended up there.

Actually, I think I know how I ended up here. Beyond running this whole journey I’m blogging about has been my attempt at opening myself up to the unknown. It looks like the unknown just invited me on a European adventure and I am truly grateful. I wonder if Clark Griswold had anything to do with it.  More than likely it was Saint Don Bosco, another one of my heroes.

So how am I going to prepare for this trip? I’m not. I’m simply going to pack light, put my mismatching running gear, camera, and laptop in a backpack, and trust that everything will work out. Not my usual style but I’m not my usual self lately, and that’s a good thing. I’m sort of starting to enjoy this whole flying between the trapeze bars experience (see blog post “In the Moment”).

If you’re wondering how you too can get invited on great adventures I will share this with you. Take the first step towards doing something different in your life. Pick something that is challenging and at the same time adding value to your mind, body, spirit, and emotions. Commit to it, hang on, and push forward. With time a random occurrence that leaves you amazed will appear – I promise. And when it does be ready to say, “Yes!” This is tonight’s lesson.

One of the things I will be seeing when I get to Italy is the Shroud of Turin. It's believed to be Jesus' burial cloth and was not supposed to be on display for another 25-years, but as fate would have it, it's on display next week - amazing.  Here’s an interesting video on it.