Stones in the Road

Part of this week's reading is A Field Guide for the Hero's Journey.  I love this book.  One of the chapters is about meeting difficulties and learning from them, as well as the value of working hard.  The book is a compilation of different inspirational stories, some true and some fables or fiction. 


As I was reading the "Stones in the Road" chapter, I thought about a trip my daughter took in her early 20s.  Emily had worked and saved enough money to achieve a goal--backpacking Europe.  Because none of her friends shared the same goal, she went by herself.  She researched the hostel system and rail travel.  She created a route to see all the countries she wanted to visit.  She got the perfect backpack and a silk sleep sack to use in the hostel beds.  She culled her wardrobe and bought what clothes she needed.  She bought a one-way plane ticket to London, where she would begin.  She was ready.  She was prepared.


When Emily arrived in London, she was sick from the air flight.  She embarrassingly vomited in public more than once.  She found a hostel and made arrangements for the next week.  She wasn't sure this was what she thought it would be.  She discovered that the lower luggage racks on the trains were usually filled and she would have to heft her gear to the top racks.  She is small in stature, so this was a challenge and she sometimes had to ask for help.  As she faced new things, more than once she thought maybe she should just get that return ticket and come home.  But she kept telling herself that she could do it and that it would all be worth it.  About a month in to her trip, I met her in Italy.  We took the train and she not only hefted her own gear, but mine into the upper racks.  She understood the metro system perfectly.  She had picked up a few words of Italian.  She was a different person.  Just before my week-long trip was over, she decided to make a detour from her scheduled trip to Greece.  She wanted to see the Hagia Sofia and the ruins at Ephesus, so Turkey was inserted into her itinerary.  This meant leaving me at the hotel and taking a 46-hour bus ride through many countries not very friendly to the United States.  I can tell you that I've never prayed so hard in my life!  Was this the same girl who was sick and unable to lift her luggage above her head in London two months earlier?  She built not only physical muscles but mental and emotional ones, as well.  By persevering, she became the world traveler she wanted to be.  This would not be her last trip. 


Emily finished up her trip on a Greek island, soaking up the sun and reflecting on what a fantastic experience she'd had and how she'd built courage and been changed forever.  I am thankful she learned what she is made of, as it has helped her in becoming a wonderful wife and mother to our grandsons.  She can help instill perseverance and a love of challenge in them.