I was walking down a tree-lined country road at dusk with an attractive young woman. She had a backpack and appeared to be in her twenties. Strangely enough, even though we’d just met and she was young and beautiful, I wasn’t nervous being with her, as normally I would be. She was outgoing, friendly, and fun to be with.

The road seemed to be in the countryside somewhere in France. I wasn’t sure what I was doing there, and the sun was setting and it was getting dark. So I asked her where she was going. She said, “I’m going to the youth hostel.”

Since there were no lights on the road, I asked, “Are you sure this is the way?” She said, “Oh, yes. When I called to make reservations, they gave me directions. This is the right way.”

I said, “Well, if we just keep going, I’m sure we’ll see lights soon, and we’ll find the place.” Then I realized I had no place to spend the night, so I said, “Do you suppose I could stay at the hostel?” She said, “Of course. I’m sure they have room for you.”

I looked at her and was amazed at how self-composed and organized she was. She’d called ahead for reservations and gotten directions. I, on the other hand, was on a journey and hadn’t even thought about where to spend the night. All I had was the clothes on my back. I wondered if I even had any money.