Peace Train

Photo: Wispy pink clouds chase like cotton candy streaks across a warm and transparent blue sky. Old train cars at rest on a side track form a dark silhouette with glints of silver and pops of light. Tops of trees are in shadow in the background.

     "Know what the most important element is for successful and happy travel?" I asked my fellow traveler, my husband of nearly 39 years. "Attitude," I proclaimed. For attitude is 99 percent of great travel experiences.

    Those who fume at the delays, crab about the meals that aren't exactly like home, or whine about security pat-downs are missing time that they could be chilling out and relaxing, tasting new and interesting flavors or appreciating the safety and security of their travel.

    No one likes these unexpected discomforts, but as they say 'you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette.' Stepping outside our comfort zone to check out fresh scenery, discovering like an old world explorer and taking chances with all our senses has yielded some of the most amazing, rejuvenating, and glorious experiences. 

     While I have control-freak tendencies in my own territory, the minute I step outside, I'm happy to feel all the twists and turns in the road and ride out the small lumps and bumps. That's just part of the adventure, I believe, to capture the memorable bits of life that often float past when you're inundated with the unexpected.

    I once surprised a young man in an airport security uniform. He was caught off guard by my smiling demeanor as I glided through the checkpoint, shoes removed, computer tucked under one arm and passport in my hand. "You look like you're having a good day," he quipped. I told him there was really no other way. Either you can smile about it or frown, but you were going to have to go through it regardless. 

    On this trip, as of Day Two, things are pretty copesetic, no complaints, nothing insurmountable to surmount, except holding on to that joy of discovery, of looking just beyond the bend to see what lies ahead, because around every corner is something. What that is just remains to be seen.

    As we sit in great relative comfort, sipping an adult beverage (the sure sign of a vacay is day-drinking, Duane says), watching all the best of America roll past our window, and listening to Yusuf Islam sing the soothing words of Peace Train, feels very nearly like what heaven, if it really does exist, must feel like. It is 99 percent simply amazing!