Random Act of Kindness

I feel the need to share, because I am so truly touched and grateful for this moment.

Some people probably think I’m an over-planner, that I am too detailed…a perfectionist even. If this paints a picture of a super-analytical worry-wart, that’s not me. I can embrace the spontaneous, appreciate the unexpected, and seek out the unfamiliar. But I do get a certain sense of comfort from knowing what to expect and being as prepared as possible.

Last summer when I was attempting to move 19 people around Morocco without losing anyone, there was an 11-page description of our daily plans that I reviewed with my fellow travelers. I didn’t pre-plan every second or make a bathroom schedule, but with so much to fit into the trip and such an unwieldy group, I had to think about how we would get from Point A to Point B, who was sleeping with who, and when a guide would show up to lead our merry band through the streets of Marrakesh or Fez. Because all of the “big stuff” was pre-planned, that left us with the less critical missions like procuring wine, negotiating fees for camel rides, and shopping for treasures.

I have done a lot of planning for our trip to Mexico. While it would be more romantic and fancy-free to jump on a plane with a backpack and let serendipity guide me, it’s not an option I’m comfortable with when I have 3 kids and 2 pets in tow. The process of learning, preparing, and overcoming each obstacle has been an important part of the experience. At the beginning, thinking about obtaining visas, dealing with pet paperwork, finding a place to live and a school, dealing with finances…it was a lot.

We’re leaving one week from today, and at this point we’ve gotten through most of the planning and just have a few more preparations to complete. One of the loose ends that was on my worry-list was the key to our rental house. Our property manager will be out of town when we arrive, so getting into the house when we hit SMA sometime after midnight involves all of the stars and planets aligning with the row of ducks. The property manager is supposed to drop off a key with our friends’ (Friends #1) housekeeper before she leaves on vacation (What if she forgets? What if the housekeeper is not home when she stops by?). The housekeeper will then give the key to other friends (Friends #2) who are arriving the same day as we are and renting the house of Friends #1 (What if they miss their plane?). When we arrive in town, our driver will then stop at our friends’ house and I will get our key from Friends #2 who have pledged to stay awake until we arrive (What if they doze off or get sick of waiting for us?).

In my daydream about our arrival, we get off the plane in Mexico City and receive a text message that there is a problem – Friends #2 either did not make it to Mexico or do not have the key. That gives me the 3 1/2-hour drive to try to figure out where we can sleep. The dog and cat complicate the arrangements, so I imagine the driver leaving us in front of our house – picture me with 3 kids, a dog, a cat, 8 big duffle bags, 4 rollie carry-ons, 4 personal items, and a stack of pesos stuffed down my pants, on a street in Mexico from 1 a.m. until someone arrives to help. In the best version of the dream, the driver lets us sleep overnight in the van, but I haven’t worked out where we would pee.

This morning, Friends #1 emailed me to say that they want to mail us a key to their house as a back-up plan in case Friends #2 do not arrive in SMA on the 30^th or something else happens. I swear – I cried. I don’t think I was obsessing over the key issue, but it was in the back of my mind, and for someone to think about us and go to the effort of mailing us a key – I was so touched. When something starts to bug me and I hear my inner voice ramping up, I keep telling myself that everything will be fine and usually I even believe it for a while. This act of generosity reminds me that things will work out, we are not alone, and the universe is on our side.