The deed is done

For a long time, I have wanted to take mum on this trip. To the Canadian Rockies, to those enchanted and mystical places deep in the mountains.... Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff... For a long time, they seemed to be far away places, so far, far away. I've been showing her pictures and video montages made by people online to whet her appetite, and to get her interested and excited. And today, we are a step closer to getting there.

After today's good news about mum's health condition, mum and I decided to take a leap of faith. Of course, in life, there may be many unexpected events and changes, and sometimes you just have to weather them. And that also means sometimes you have a to take a risk. After browsing for tour packages for some time, we decided to go for one that includes all the highlights of the Rockies, and most important of all, involves a two day train journey on a special train service. The tour does not come cheap, but sometimes in life, you have to tell yourself that you can only live once, and you can only experience certain experiences once in your one lifetime. So just do it.

Mum certainly deserves a break from all the hospital visits, and all that staying at home, now almost half a year into her retirement. This will be her first trip overseas, and I want to make it a special and memorable one. As I keep on telling her, some things you see and experience, and you will continue to be so amazed and inspired by it for a lifetime. However short or long that lifetime is, does not matter. At least after everything has been said, she has been there, done that.

So I filled in the booking form just now, and the credit card details, and faxed it over to the travel agent. It seems like such a little step, at just a little over midnight local time here, but it took such a  long time of weighing all the options, risks and possibilities. But sometimes you just have to do it, and hope that things will turn out as planned.

And if this does, it will be a trip to remember and to talk about for a long, long time....