Just a bunch of people from Texas, driving around in Ireland

When you travel, you run into all kinds of people--people from everywhere. Today, we literally ran into a man from Austin, TX. Or, rather, he ran into us. With his car. Just three miles from our destination. We are all o.k. and the car is still fully operational, but, I'm not going to lie, there was a split second before it happened when I knew it was going to happen, and I didn't think we'd be so fortunate. In fact, I closed my eyes and felt fairly confident that I would have a sedan in my lap when I opened them again. Honestly, I've been expecting something like this for months. The unreasonably narrow roads, driving on the "wrong" side of the road, and the frequent rain have all seemed like a recipe for disaster. And, today provided just the perfect mix of each. When we were in Naples (driving on the "right" side of the road, I might add), Jeff finally forbade me to gasp in the car. So, I developed the habit of clearing my throat rather forcefully, which didn't fool Jeff for a minute. He knew I was still gasping in my heart and just trying to make it seem a bit more casual. Today, I didn't gasp or clear my throat. I just closed my eyes and waited for the worst. It didn't happen, and I'm so very thankful. But, I will tell you that I was still shaking a half hour later, engaged in that annoying human habit of asking "what if...?" The truth is, "what if" doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is "what is." Life turns on a dime. There's just no time for "what if." I will hug my people a little tighter tonight and say a prayer of thanksgiving, but I will not let the "what ifs" steal my joy. Instead, I will celebrate "what is" with all my heart.