An adventure in The Big Apple

Originally appeared on spirituality.com.

As the flight attendant listed off information about various connecting flights, I sat frozen in my seat on the edge of pure panic. I’d never felt so lost.

The day had started out great. Here I was, 21 years old with a fantastic new boyfriend (my future husband), heading out to New York City to meet my parents on a vacation they were paying for. We had theater tickets to all of the best shows, including, of course,Cats, third row seats to Shirley Valentine, and a chance to see Baryshnikov in Metamorphosis. My older sister was on her way home from a tour with Showboat in Egypt and would be meeting us in New York for a long-overdue visit. Life was fantastic!

But the day took a nasty turn the moment the pilot announced our imminent landing in New York City. As I reached for my travel itinerary, the one my father had meticulously written out to include every possible detail I would need to know, I quickly realized that it was sitting on my desk at home. I hadn’t made any special effort to bring it, thinking I probably wouldn’t need it. And now I realized how vital that information was. Since I hadn’t even looked at it with any interest before my flight, I had no idea what the name of our hotel was. It was a careless mistake.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit