"To unpathed waters, undreamed shores." - William Shakespeare

Choose to Chance the Rapids

When I was a kid, I never wanted to spend the night at my friend’s house. I would always come up with an excuse for my friends to stay at my house, so I didn’t have to go to theirs. I didn’t feel comfortable outside of my home. Nor did I feel comfortable being alone. In fact, I was slightly terrified to be left by myself.

I was also the kid who got picked on at school and the one who would more than likely be chosen last when picking teams for kickball. I was never the obvious leader and was probably the last person the teacher or my classmates would pick to be in charge of a group. While I wouldn’t really classify myself as shy, I definitely desired to keep a low profile.

My, how times have changed…

Isn’t it funny that now, twenty years later, I find myself traveling here and there and everywhere, sometimes with travel companions and sometimes cross-country totally by myself. My eight-year-old self, who was sometimes too scared to stay overnight at her cousin’s house across the street, wouldn’t know what to make of me today.

And if someone would have told her that today she would be leading three dance teams and own her own dance studio, productions company, and small web design firm, I don’t think she would have believed them.

The View from the Mountain Top in Montenegro

And then of course, there was my recent trip to Europe. I know there are many people in the world that may have hiked to the top of a fjord in Montenegro many times in their lives, but for a little country bumpkin from the mountains of Virginia, that’s something I never really thought I’d ever have the chance to do.

Now, I’m by no means bragging on myself. As Denzel Washington said “Luck is where opportunity meets preparation,” and I definitely had some luck and opportunity come my way.

But my point is (as Tim McGraw’s newest song says) “I’m learning who you’ve been ain’t who you’ve gotta be.” Although I may have been the dorky, unpopular, awkward, eight-year-old at one point in my life, that doesn’t mean I have to be awkward and scared today (though I may still happily retain a little of the dorkiness from time to time.) And even though I once had a fear of the unknown, it doesn’t mean I’m going to retain that fear today and sit idly by as possibilities and opportunities pass me by. Maybe I’ve learned from my fears. I guess that scared eight-year-old taught me a thing or two about living – to not let natural fears and born-into limitations restrict the rest of your life. No matter where we are from, who we are surrounded by, or how much money we have or don’t have, there is always a way to accomplish our goals and see our dreams come to life. I have seen too many possibilities in my life to believe in impossibility.

Clutching the Railing While Pulling Out of Barcelona

Another fear I have is a fear of water and ships. Did I mention the trip to Europe was a two-week cruise in the Mediterranean? I was terrified driving up to the ship, terrified when I boarded, and terrified to the point of tears as I stood clutching the railing of my balcony as the ship traveled farther and farther away from land. I knew I would be, but I wanted that experience, and I was ready to fight for it. And guess what? I won.