Trips to islands are always expensive, and Mackinac Island was no exception. The Grand Hotel was quite pricey, but my husband wanted the full experience, including the formal dinner in the dining room. The entire trip had to be prepaid, so when the weather forecast called for rain during the weekend we were supposed to go, I felt a little sick at the thought that rain would hinder our exploration of the island.

The weather forecast that Friday we drove up to the ferry was spot on. There was off and on torrential rain, and in the rush to leave I had forgotten a rain jacket or any jacket at all. As luck would have it, we stopped at a Target on our way and managed to buy rain jackets for both of us. Forgetting things was my modus operandi that day (see my previous post “Worry and the Unlocked Car”). The rain abated by the time we reached the island, and we enjoyed exploring the grounds and taking photos.

By the next morning, though, it was a gentle, nonstop rain. Our room had a covered balcony with two chairs, and I sat out there, listening to the rain after I did my tai chi exercises. I even took a video because that was my favorite part of the trip: the sound and smell of the morning rain. My worst “fear” about our expensive trip came true, but it turned out to be my favorite part. How did that happen? I don’t know, but I’m open to being surprised again when something I’m worried about turns out to be different, maybe better, than I could hope for.