I was once a little girl with big dreams and a heart that longed for adventure. Big dreams seemed so far away at the time, coming from a home that struggled to get by. I would sit on the wooden fences overlooking the fields that housed cattle and imagined a place where I could find myself far away from home. I would daydream of places that I had not yet seen or pictured what it would be like to fly in a plane and find myself in another land that was different than my own. Growing up in the rural county of Northwest Arkansas, little did I know about the outside world or what lived beyond the walls of farm land and small towns. I lived in a world that felt secure, perfect, and small, but I was always longing and wanting more.
It wasn’t until much later in life that my longing for adventure and travel became real. Sure, I had traveled as a child and visited places that were different than my home. We would take our yearly visits to Ohio to see family, take camping trips to Pennsylvania and we incorporated a few work trips into family vacation. When I became of the adult age to make my own decisions and own choices, life got in the way. The desire for college and the “American Dream” filled my mind with excitement of what I could become in this great big world I was getting to know. There was also this perception that traveling seemed like such an unrealistic dream, based on two areas in my life. One, I lived in constant fear and anxiety. I didn’t realize it then, but as I grew older, I finally understood how truly paralyzed I was by fear. Unfortunately, this fear has run the course of generations in my family and I was its next victim. I don’t recall any memory as a child that doesn’t involve the emotion of anxiety or fear. But, enough about that. I could get side tracked and spend a whole post on that subject. The second reason was money. I had this perception growing up that travel was expensive and this was not reality and never would be for me. Again, later in life I learned it wasn’t about the money, but what you prioritize and do with the money that you have.
I had some ups and downs in life along the way. I finished undergrad and graduate school, married, and had a few kids. Life was grand! I had the family I wanted, the job I wanted, except for this one little ache in my heart that never went away. I remember the moment like it was yesterday, the moment that changed my direction and shifted my perspective. I had just turned 30, life was swell, and the prospect of traveling out West was on the horizon. My husband and I had always longed to travel out west, see the Grand Canyon and travel through the desert landscapes. Like I said, fear and anxiety could be crippling to me, especially the fear of the unknown. I was at a point in my life where I was coming into my own, getting to know who I was, what I wanted, and what I was going to do to get there. I recently had met with a new physician that placed me on a low dosage of medication, and I was working on breaking the generational cycle of fear. Here I was, about to embark on a journey that only felt like a dream when I was a little girl, but I was about to fulfill that dream.
Our journey landed us in Las Vegas and from there we would venture on to The Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Zion National Park. I’m sure we made other stops along the way, but those were the places that stuck out most to me. I need to back up and go back to The Grand Canyon because that’s where my perspective forever changed. My husband and I had woke before the sun was thinking about rising for the day. We had stayed the night in a dinky motel, the only place available that was only a few miles from the park entrance. The morning was cold, and if you weren’t moving your body, you’d stand there freezing. We packed our gear, layers of clothes as I knew the sun would be out and the sweltering heat of the Arizona sun would find it’s way that afternoon. We laced up our hiking boots and headed out to get an early morning start on the trail.
The morning was cold, the sky was a faint blue as the sun was beginning to make it’s way above the horizon. I was cold, yet felt invigorated at the same time. The trail was a good one mile down the canyon and another mile back up the canyon. We hiked, talked, took in the scenery of the vast canyon and made our way to the farthest point we could go without having a permit. Once it was time to start the trek straight up out of the canyon, the afternoon sun had approached and felt like a different season from the time we started that morning. Hiking straight up, going back and forth between switchbacks, no shade, and the blazing sun hitting your face, made me question the decision for this hike. I’m not going to lie, the hike up was brutal and it took multiple rest stops along the way. When it seemed like we were getting close to the top, the switchbacks kept going. But alas, we had made it to the top! My body was aching, my feet felt like they would give out and I just wanted to lie down and never get up again. But, here I am , just made it to the top, body about to give way. I’m standing close to the edge and one wrong slip, I would plummet to my death. The sun is the perfect shade of orange and I had just accomplished a dream of mine to hike The Grand Canyon. I’m looking out across the way and all I see is miles of the canyon, layer upon layer of rock, the sun settling in for the night and I had never felt so much peace and fulfillment in my life until that very moment. Every worry, fear, and anxious thought was no where to be found. Only the realness and evidence of a great God I serve that created a beautiful world that can only be seen and felt by experiencing it in person.
Call it an epiphany, a divine intervention, but something in me that moment forever changed, and I’ll never be able to fully explain it in words for others to understand, but it was an unforgettable, humbling, and life changing moment. Ever since that moment my life has never been the same. I replaced anxiety for adventure and fear for calmness. I’m no longer tied down to fear holding me back from the unknown or anxiety filling my mind when I travel.
Since that trip 8 years ago, I have been to 36 states, 8 countries, 25 National Parks in the U.S. and so much more! I learned that traveling doesn’t have to be a dream, it can be a reality when you prioritize what you really want out of life. Everyone has different dreams, goals and what they define as success. To me, my dream is to experience this beautiful world God has created while I am able. We’re not promised tomorrow and tomorrow may never come. My perspective on success has shifted from where I was 10 years ago to where I am today. I no longer look at life the same nor define success the same. To me, my success is defined by experiencing new places, showing my kids the world, and immersing myself in other cultures. I don’t have a plan to slow down, my only plan is to continue moving forward. This is how my brand, The Travel Roamad was born. I’m an aspiring nomad, roaming the continents and sharing my experiences along the way. My journey has only just begun!
Your Journey Starts Here 