(sorry, Mom, if you read this one)

Last night was the first time I didn't want to be a free spirit since this trip began.

Our flight to Dublin was scheduled to land around 10pm Monday night from which we would bus to the city center and then locate our hostel. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed about 2 hours and we did not arrive until midnight at which point the bus we were supposed to take was no longer running. They say everyone in Ireland is friendly and we found this to be true as we were able to easily figure out an alternative to get us where we needed to go. We waited another half hour and then got on a bus which landed us a few streets from our hostel. At this point it was 1am, a steady drizzle was falling and the temperature was easily in the 50s.
I was cold, wet, tired and had just been dropped off on the streets of a city I didn't know with a 30lb pack on my back and my only thoughts were "if we are even able to locate our hostel at this point, it's probably closed for the night" and "I bet we couldn't even find an unlocked church to sleep in" and "why is there a street fight starting over there?"
This is a bad idea, I don't recommend showing up in a strange place in the middle of the night. For the first time ever, I realized I didnt exactly have a safety net and it was taking a lot of energy just to mentally engage enough to read the map correctly.
In retrospect, there are plenty of things we could have done if that situation had gotten really bad but in the moment I was so unfamiliar with the feeling, I almost didnt think past the next step in front of me.
We did make it to our hostel and it was open. The next morning as I was drying off with a bed sheet for lack of a towel, I thought back over the last 24hours and now all I could think about (beside how non-absorbent sheets are) was how grateful I am for my family, for what my parents have provided me with, for a house to go home to and knowing I'll most likely never have to spend the night in the rain. Ultimately, I was reminded of how God was been faithful to meet my every need and I never have to wonder if He will look after me.
After spending a history-filled day in Dublin, we made it to our first farm, deep in the Irish countryside, and here is beauty beyond words. I am definitely inspired to be a free spirit again :)