Some days you turn 25.

Like today, for example.

Some days your birthday is on Mother's Day, and the two go poetically hand in hand, since you're her oldest child. :) You're thankful she decided to be a mom, that she keeps deciding to be a great one, and you're thankful to be alive yet another year, breathing oxygen and all that jazz.

Some days, you're traveling, backpacking through Europe with your 19 year old brother.

Some days, like today, you sleep and wake up on a train, even if it's your birthday. Because the day still has its priorities and demands, and right now the priorities and plans involve travel.

Some days, you're surrounded by strangers that have no idea today is so special in your world, as my current neighbors are always strangers, and my current neighborhood(s) are metro and train stations.

Some days are better than others, especially when traveling.

Some days, despite your careful planning, volcanic ash and other things in the universe cause your well-laid plans to go awry, and instead of making it all the way to Italy tonight, you find yourself stuck in places you didn't plan to be.

But some days being stuck isn't so bad.

Because some days do take their own course, but often, if you listen as the day unfolds, things can turn out quite better than you'd planned, people can surprise you, and a day you might have thought to be regular and a birthday you thought might pass by rather unnoticed can turn out to be absolutely blissful.

Some days you end up sleeping in Barcelona rather than on another night train. Which means that some days, this 25 year old gets the opportunity to get a shower and sleep in a comfy bed rather than a train seat, go for an evening run on the beach in Barcelona, enjoy a free meal, use the free internet to receive her warm birthday wishes from her thoughtful friends and family, and go to the zoo with her brother and their new friends to celebrate her 25 years of existence.

Some days, much like this trip, are nothing like I expected. But when given the chance to run their course, most days, especially this trip, are everything I hoped they would be. Some days are not what we imagined, but exactly what we needed.

I love days like these. :)

“To travel is to live.” -Hans Christian Andersen

“Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey.” -Fitzhugh Mullan

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” -Martin Buber