I recently had the unique opportunity to travel to Alaska for two weeks, see the coast and see some of the inland part of Alaska. It came at such a chance for change for me as I felt as my life had gone crumbling before my own eyes months prior to the trip. I was a month away from graduating with my masters, I had my ideal job and life was simply good. It was destroyed within a matter of seconds and a poor choice on my part and with only more bad news to follow within the months to come. I felt as if I had lost nearly everything and had no drive left.
When I went to Alaska, I had the chance to meet all kinds of people. Individuals that had experienced more hardships than I could of imagined. And the unique thing, they all handled it differently than how I might of handled it. I met one young lady that works from job to job and gets up and travels on the weekends. She recently came to Denver so I was able to spend more time with her. She wants to see the world and well she clearly is going to do it.
I also met an older woman from Alabama that had lost her husband a few years ago unexpectedly. This trip she was on was supposed to an anniversary for her and her husband, but her children insisted that she still went. You could tell she was still hurting, but went to try and make her children happy.
I met individuals working on the ship (yes, I took a cruise in), from different countries. They restricted themselves to the confines of a vessel so they could send money back home to their family and children. They did not make nearly as much money in their country that they were making on the ship. Our server talked about how he would try and skype his children 3 o’clock in the morning our time, just so he could see them.
I met a German couple that was stationed in the states and couldn’t want to get back to Europe and leave our “Dreadful” country, however they would love to come back to Alaska. I enjoyed my time with them, as we had similar views on multiple things and free beer is always a plus. And they were extreme goofballs.
While hearing everyone’s story, it was enlightening and powerful. Everyone had come from a different walk of life and never knew what was next. Everyone handles things differently and it is a matter of how you handle that hardship and how you might come through. One lesson that has been hard for me is events happen, bad or good, to everyone and we must learn from them. If the lesson isn’t learned, are we doomed to repeat it? As a child, I had touch the hot stove three times before I learned it would burn me. Yes, this has carried over into my adulthood, but I don’t think, wait, I know the mistake I made several months ago would be repeated.
I think one of the hardest lessons for me to be learning is a lot of the times we have to walk these paths alone. While I know I have loved ones that are sitting there and cheering me on, only I can walk down the path and make my own decisions and live with those decisions. I’ve also learned that walking down this path alone isn’t always bad or lonely. The amount of people you will meet is amazing, heartwarming and encouraging. While I know I will get through this path, it is just a matter of when and it is a matter of enjoying the beauty it truly has to offer.
