Saturday, 19 June 2021
Booking New Zealand Context
While travelling abroad has always had risks, in COVID times, it’s even riskier. In Australia, COVID-19 has settled down. There are a few pockets where COVID flares up, but these incidents are traceable. Each year my husband and I try to go skiing, and we like to trying different resorts. Every year we ponder visiting New Zealand. This year we’re going to book NZ.
We married in the snow in 2016. My nephew, ring bearer, has wanted to join our ski trips ever since. It was his first exposure to skiing, and ever since his first “whoopie”, or was it “yippee?” he’s insinuated himself into our travel plans. We don’t mind. It’s fun to borrow my nephew to give my sister and brother-in-law a break.
But going skiing can be expensive, and I consciously try to avoid placing the burden on my sister, particularly if we go overseas. If we travel overseas, my sister wants to come too, not to go skiing but to sightsee. The additional person increases journey cost, and therefore not ideal for my sister’s bank balance.
COVID adds difficulty to planning activities, especially if you’re planning a trip overseas, even if it is only a three-and-a-half-hour flight. So this year, after some deliberation, it’s going to be just hubby and me. We also decided we wouldn’t organise our travel, like usual, but we would book NZ via a travel agent.
After lunch, we approached Flight Centre at the local shopping centre to look at our options. The lovely Renae helped find the perfect travel dates, accommodation, ski rental, lift passes and travel insurance. And before you can say New Zealand Ski Holiday, we had paid. Now the anticipation begins, and hopefully, COVID keeps its nose out of our travel.
Today's Cards
The Cards - Analysis
Carryover Cards
Three cards carried over from yesterday; Ordinariness moved from Influence to Future Energy, Control moved from Future Energy to Others’ Views, and Playfulness moved from Other’s Views to Outcome. Well, well, well, look at Ordinariness causing a domino effect!
It’s like the words of the counting nursery rhyme, Ten in the Bed,
There were ten in the bed
And the little one said,
"Roll over! Roll over!"
So they all rolled over and
one fell out
Cross to Book NZ
The Miser is in the Now influenced by Letting Go. Ha, ha, ha! It is no surprise for The Miser to appear after Letting Go a large amount of money for a ski trip.
Going with the Flow occupies the Goal spot. And, indeed, Going with the Flow, as in not having any definitive expectations on what today’s outcome was going to be, is what transpired. The whole experience of booking NZ through the travel agent went smoothly, and it felt right to let the money go.
For the travel to eventuate, a lot of things in the Distant Past needed Integration. And in the more Recent Past, I have chosen to slow down (Slowing Down).
Slowing Down creates the Future Energy of Ordinariness, which is the full appreciation of the little things in life, providing the opportunity to smell the roses.
Base to Book NZ
Consciousness is in the Feelings spot. Or simply put, it’s me knowingly spending money and deliberately making myself The Miser. (It was only for a short time 😁).
Others’ Views of me is I like to be in Control or the one calling the shots. Maybe.
My biggest fear is Laziness, but it’s also what I greatly desire (hope). It’s appropriate then the Hopes and Fears position is occupied by said card. Okay. That’s the easy thing to say, but how does it relate to today’s travel booking? Perhaps I am fearful I will pin my focus on the travel moment and forget to live in the now? And at same longing and obsessing are what I hope for to make time go faster. As a consequence, I might rest on what I have accomplished to date without further effort.
Finally, we reach the Outcome of Playfulness. Good Outcome. It’s why we booked NZ! Okay. It’s an opportunity to get away, too.
References
- Osho, Osho Zen Tarot – The Transcendental Game of Zen, St Martin’s Press, ISBN 0-312-11733-7
- Link to Day 005, where I mention Aussies skiing in Switzerland
