Preparing for the Unknown (this trip is starting to scare me just a little)

     I've had since that slate gray morning in November of ham and cheese omelets with Eleni to prepare for this trip. Slowly and slowly I have gathered information, taken down names, read books, made connections, read more books, talked to travelers. Now I have only two months before I leave (I haven't even purchased the tickets yet, don't tell!) and I'm feeling very anxious about this. Did I do it wrong? Am I doing it wrong now? there isn't one right way to travel I guess, but there sure are a lot of wrong ways. The most important thing for me is to pack light. I do not want to be hauling excessive amounts through either the Mediterranean or Africa. So how many pairs of shoes does that add up to? Should I take hiking boots, should I take flip-flops, do I need tennis shoes, what about a pair of dressy shoes? Do I need a nice outfit just in case? Cannot forget that toothbrush! Every question births a new question, or maybe two. And the scariest part is that I just won't know what I got right and what I got wrong until I'm there. If I can just lay the fear and the feelings of being overwhelmed, I know i can get this figured out.
     It makes me shake my head in wonderment when I think about how I begged for this trip because I wanted to expand my world - I wanted a bigger view. I haven't even left the continent yet and I'm already overwhelmed by the enormity of my growing world in these last six months. It's too scary and many times in a day I want to run and hide because it's all too big for me to sort out and control. But look on the bright side, it throws me back into the arms of God - I know this whole long life of mine is a trek I won't be able to walk alone. God is my constant travel companion, he never leaves me, he always knows the way, and he has endless resources and connections. So even if the world is too big for me to handle on my own, I have nothing to fear.