On a Monday night in January, I couldn’t stop pacing the length of faded hardwood floor running between the kitchen and the fireplace. Feeling like my new hoodie might choke me, I repeatedly wrenched the zipper down and then pulled it up again – each movement like an erratic heartbeat.

“Are you ok?” my friend’s voice sliced through the panic brewing in my every conscious thought.

“No. I’m not ok. I’m not even close to ok. I can’t breathe. I wish it wasn’t too late to back out. Why can’t I just stay here?” My words surged out.

She didn’t say anything. She simply walked over and hugged me. She knew me enough to know I would get past my panic attack, finish packing, and somehow push through every hyperventilating moment until my imminent departure.

Since then, incredible things have happened. I’ve –

• Ridden on the back of careening motorbikes in Vietnam;
• Watched the sun rise over the Taj Mahal in India;
• Snuggled with beautiful Motherless Children in Rwanda;
• Changed my philosophy about Meeting the One in Spain;
• Continued to Show Up (in spite of almost getting pummelled by monopoly pieces) in Cuzco;
• Hiked breathlessly up a dark path to experience the wonder of Machu Picchu at dawn;
• Fallen in love (in less than 3 Seconds) with a group of wonderful Andean women;
• Felt the sand between my toes while I saw the sun slide into the roaring Pacific ocean;
• AND – established deeper friendships than I would have thought possible in my 6 months on the road.

All of this – in spite of feeling hand-cuffed by terror in the days before I left Canada.

On a recent ferry ride, a new friend looked at me in shock when I told him about my trip around the world and my pulsating pre-departure fear. He thought if I had the guts to travel around the world by myself, I must be someone who didn’t feel afraid. But, taking giant leaps of faith doesn’t mean you stop feeling afraid; it simply means you make a decision to belly-flop into the deep-end of your fear because you know what kind of amazing experiences might be waiting for you on the other side.

As I sit in the boarding lounge of the Dallas airport and contemplate my return to Canada, I am faced with new (WTF am I going to do next) FEARS. But, I’m choosing to plug my nose as I keep jumping in. Besides, I have a hunch that OUR adventures have only just begun…

Do you want to see some of the people, places, and experiences I might have missed if I had listened to my wailing voice of panic and opted out of the Adventure of Hope? Here’s a LINK to my FAV PHOTOS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

What about you?

Are there any experiences you might have missed if you hadn’t belly flopped into your fear? Is there something you want to do RIGHT NOW, but you think you have to wait until you stop feeling afraid to take the plunge? As aways, I love hearing your thoughts, comments, or questions…