Jessie: Surprised to realize that the month is drawing so rapidly to a close!
For our last surprisingly good topic of the month, I wanted to discuss experiences. Wickeds, tell us about an experience you have had that turned out to be far better than you might have anticipated!
Sherry: Most trips to the dentist. I dread going, but it usually isn’t as bad as anticipated.
Julie: I went to Egypt several years ago. I’d always wanted to go, and had done a ton of research. And as much as I anticipated the trip, being there was better than I could have imagined. What an amazing country.
Edith: On my trip to Japan last spring, after a morning in a port, my traveling companion wanted to go back to the ship for lunch. I wanted to immerse myself in Japan as much as possible, so I went wandering in search of a place to eat. I happened into a bustling little hole in the wall with all the doors open. I grabbed a seat at the counter, ordered a liter of beer, and tried to read the menu (even Google Translate barely helped). A cheery man and woman next to me greeted me (they might have been on their third beers), and we proceeded to talk in Japanese and a little English and toast each other for the next couple of hours. What could have been a slightly lonely solo fueling stop turned into one of the highlights of the trip.
Barb: Julie and Edith, you have put the idea of trips that turned out surprisingly better than I anticipated. In 2019, Bill tagged a trip to Montauro, the mountain village in Calabria that his father’s parents emigrated from in 1921, onto a visit to Rome. I was skeptical to put it mildly. We were looking for a second cousin Bill had been in contact with on Facebook but who had sort of disappeared. We were staying in a newly built AirBnB that wasn’t quite finished when we made the reservation. Our trip was before the season really started on the Ionian Sea and it wasn’t clear if restaurants, etc., would be open. And, we’d be driving a rental car on twisty mountain roads. As you’ve anticipated from the theme of this post,it turned out to be a fantastic trip. We did meet with family, saw the village (and met practically everyone in it) and regained an important bit of family history that had been lost. You can read about it here and here.
Jessie: I love reading about all of these, but especially Sherry’s encounters with the dentist! I am going to mention swimming off the coast of Maine in the off-season. I’ve gone both early in the year and late as well and all the experiences have turned out to be exhilarating rather than brutal. I had expected to be a bit miserable, but splashing about in the chilly water, okay, frigid, was remarkably enlivening!
Readers, how about you? Have you had an experience that you enjoyed much more than you would have expected?
The Wickeds 
For me, the most recent one would be our bucket list trip. Although we anticipated a fun time, any time you plan a year ahead for a 30 day vacation stopping numerous places and traveling over 8,100 miles by car, you figure there are going to be some confusion and mistakes made. However, our trip turned out fabulously! No problems with the car, reservations or plans made. There was no major road construction, rooms or cabins were very comfortable, sights seen were mind blowing, many items marked off our bucket list with a sigh of satisfaction, pre-scheduled bills were paid without a hitch and we returned home to everything in order, plants having survived the summer heat and critter visitors still contently eating food left out all due to some amazing friends. Things couldn’t have went off better making it a total and very welcome surprise. Are we glad we went – YES. Would we do it again – if things went this smoothly yes, but also realizing that it’s getting harder to make these LONG trips and will be curtailing the length from now on I believe. However, you never know!
2clowns at arkansas dot net
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What a fabulous trip that sounds like, Kay! I cannot believe even your plants stayed healthy!
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I think any time you stay open to amazing experiences, even if you aren’t enthusiastic at the beginning things turn out well. I expected my time in the Caribbean to be all work and little play, and it turned out to be amazing. I saw so much, ate great food, learned to SCUBA dive, and enjoyed the local cultures.
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I cannot agree more, Liz! I always tell my kids that attitude makes the experience!
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A few years ago, I went with two friends to Hawaii. It was actually a first trip like that for me. We had a blast. One of the best weeks of my life. I expected to have fun, but not that much fun.
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That does sound like fun!
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Following Sherry’s medical theme. My primary care doctor referred me to an endocrinologist as PC’s opinion was I needed infusion treatment for osteoporosis following a bone scan. Lots of dread… new doctor, bone scan reported my back was barely holding me up, sharp pointy thing to be stuck in my body on a regular basis. Trembling, feeling light headed and with a wiggly stomach. This wonderful woman comes into the exam room, introduces herself, shakes my hand, and still touching my hand asks “how are you?” “Frightened out of my mind,” says me. And she says “of course you are. The diagnosis is wrong. The bone scan was misread. The vertebrate were counted incorrectly. And I’ve checked with the other doctors in this practice to make sure I’m reading it correctly.” All touching my hand from time to time and then showing me how to count vertebrate. Nearly 2 years and four completed visits into treatment with a pill I swallow once a week, she continues to listen to what I say and how I say it. As does her staff. And when she asks, “how are you?” She cares what I answer.
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Wow! What a both terrifying and heart warming story! Congratulations on your luck with your doctor!
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When I was 9, I read about Peru and fell in love. I never expected to be able to actually go there. Well, at 27, I went. I figured on having a good time, but, oh my, I discovered a whole new world. Over the next 25years I returned 27 times. The fabulous and sometimes hard to believe experiences changed my life and made me a whole different person. Like Liz, being open to the new is the way to enjoy life.
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27 times! It must have been a wonderful experience!
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In 2019, my wife had a conference for work in Salt Lake City. We decided to make a vacation out of it and go out the week before. I was afraid it was going to be boring and couldn’t have been more wrong. Having the mountains and the Great Salt Lake at our fingertips was amazing. The city itself was super cool, too. Would definitely recommend a visit there!
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It sounds like a great visit!
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My husband took me on a cruise near the end of the pandemic and it turn out better than expected. At that time it was not crowded and we were still wearing mask and keeping distance. The food was better then expected, the entertainment was good and we had a real relaxing time.
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