You know that moment when you're watching a Disney film when suddenly, the shivers run up your spine, tears well up in your eyes and your heart melts? If you are a true Disney fan you know exactly the moment I'm talking about.
My magical Disney moment happened recently to me in the middle of the movie Brave. It was the scene where Merida bravely scales the rock wall and has her moment of triumph as she puts aside her fears and achieves her goal. This scene illustrates Merida's determination, fearlessness and struggle but it isn't really a pivotal point in the plot. Yet there I sat, sobbing in that dark theater, with tears streaming down my face...
Flashback 1997...I was a single mom, struggling to make ends meet for my three kids. I had just landed a job working for one of the very first online travel companies. I was admittedly clueless. I was hired simply because - I knew that the internet was, I had heard of Yahoo and I knew how to send an email. I apprecatiated the opportunity and after long days in the office, I'd spend hours learning everything I possibly could about the travel business.
I had only worked there a very short time when my boss asked to speak with me early one morning. Convinced that I had broken the internet, I cautiously entered his work space. He proceeds to tell me that he had been asked to attend and present at an ASTA conference (American Society Of Travel Agents) but that he was far too busy to go. He decided that he would be sending me to Glasgow, Scotland to take his place and oh...I would be leaving in 4 days.
First thought - WOW! I've always DREAMED of going to Europe...never thought I would ever really get the chance to go.
Then HOLY "Cow" - (To be honest, not really what I thought but we are talking Disney here). Kids, kid care, organizing, what do I wear, what do I pack, getting a passport, how to you exchange money, how do you call home, reservations...not to mention preparing a presentation, business materials, trade show set up...I do remember trying to inhale and having to sit down because I thought an elephant was sitting on my chest. Somehow I was able to smile convincingly to my boss, give him the "thumbs up" and answer "absolutely not" when he asked if I was nervous about all this.
I lied!
You see, other than a few road trips to Disney World, I had never really traveled ANYWHERE before like this before, let alone by myself! I was scared to death!...petrified was more like it!
I went home and put on a brave face for my kids and my father who would be caring for them. Everyone was begging me not to go but I really didn't have a choice. To make matters worse at that very moment, the television in the background was interrupted by a news report saying Princess Diana had been killed in a car wreck. I remember packing my bags while watching the funeral procession knowing that I would be flying through London in just a few more hours. That voice in my head kept trying to say this was a bad omen but I just kept thinking happy thoughts.
It took every ounce of strength that week not to let my fears cripple my every step. What I discovered was that all of my fears and insecurities were unwarranted. I made it all the way to Glasgow by my own big self. My business presentations were well received and I met some wonderful people.
One of the people I met that week was a local fireman who asked if he could take me out to dinner. So if the past week hadn't been surreal enough, I now find myself on my first "date" I had been on in over 15 years and in a strange country. He asked me what I wanted to do on our date. I told him it was a dream of mine to see a castle some day- a real castle from the fairy tales of my childhood. I also told him this would probably be my one and only chance.
He took me on a drive up into the Scottish highlands. It was some of the most breath taking scenery I'd ever seen. My wildest imagination I couldn't have dreamed up the kind of beauty I was seeing from the car window.
He took me to Urquhart castle which sits proudly on the shores of Loch Ness. It is the home to mystical legendary creatures. I could feel myself walking in the footsteps of the ancients. I thought about their fears and the battles of everyday survival that they then needed to overcome. Suddenly my fears and worries seemed trivial by comparison.
We strolled throughout the castle grounds and climbed the narrow winding steps to the top of the tallest tower. The turret stairwell led nowhere. The top of the tower had crumbled centuries ago. Opposite the narrow pie shaped stairs was a small niche and the perfect spot for a photo. I clung to a precarious ledge several stories about the ground and made my way across to the niche while he snapped a photo this photo of me. Did I mention that I am absolutely petrified of heights?
I learned a great deal about being "Brave" since them. Thanks to my business efforts, I was invited back to speak at many more events all over Europe. I got to return back to Scotland many times to see my fireman. Thanks to him I got to see and learn about so many wonderful places there. I didn't fall in love with him but I have had a very long standing love affair with Scotland. Just like Merida I was convinced that I would NEVER marry (again). I wanted to "stay single and let my hair flow in the wind". I didn't need a man to be happy. A short time after all of this I met a man that changed that idea and we spent our honeymoon in Scotland. There is really no place on earth where my heart feels more at home.
So this is why I cried during the movie.
Being "Brave" and going to Scotland opened the door for me to see the world. I got promoted for my work which meant I could afford to take my children places that we could only dream of before. I became a fearless explorer and I've been to more countries now that I can count. I took a HUGE risk and started me own travel company. I simply wanted to help families overcome their fears and worries and get out there and explore the world with their kids. Travel doesn't just change your geography, it changes your character.
So if you had ever dreamed of getting out and seeing the world... be brave. I understand the worry and uncertainty first hand. Every time I help another family travel overseas for the first time I remember all the questions I had in those few, frantic days before first heading to Scotland.
If you need any further inspiration...watch the movie "Brave" again & again (...I do)
