My Journey

My Personal Journey & Adventure

My family and I had been dreaming about visiting the Grand Canyon in Arizona since before I was born. It was always the vacation that never happened because one of my parents couldn't take work off for long enough. After years of coaxing and attempting to get there, we finally did a couple years back.

When I was twelve, I decided to do research about the place so that one day when my family’s puzzle was perfect and we could go on this vacation, I would already know everything. I sought after the perfect cabins at the bottom of the canyon, as well as looking up where I could rent a mule or donkey to carry my suitcase down as we trekked all the way to the bottom of the canyon. I knew that one day my mother's dream would come true, though i didn't know that it would happen so quickly.

On my fourteenth birthday, my present was that my entire family would be spending our Thanksgiving that year at… Grand Canyon! At first I didn’t believe them, but my mother assured me that this time was the real time that we would be going.

I helped plan everything that I could, but found out the most devastating news; a) my grandparents couldn’t make it, and b) it takes years to reserve a spot at the base of the canyon, the only real reason that I wanted to visit. I admit that I acted pessimistic for the rest of the planning because not everything was working the way I had imagined.

We got to our cabin on the twenty-fourth of November 2009, two days until Thanksgiving. When I was alone in the cabin, I began wondering why I was so upset about things not going my way. Thanksgiving is a mere forty-eight or so hours away, a time to be thankful and grateful for all that my life has been blessed with. I promised myself that I would enjoy this trip and make the best out of it not only for myself, but to live my mother’s dream.

On the twenty-fifth, my family and I took the train to the Grand Canyon to finally see it in person. When we arrived and visited the small museum nearby, I stared out the window overlooking both sides of the canyon. I noticed how different our side was terrain and plant wise to the side I was looking at. I realized at that moment that life is portrayed the way you see it, and I am bound to see everything in view. I felt a sense of udder freedom, like I could achieve any goal I set out for. A few minutes later I went outside and looked over the ledge; yet this time I felt sick to my stomach, because I knew that my life was in the hands of Mother Nature. It scared me to know that I am in charge of my own life and I’m not always going to have someone to help make my decisions.

When I got home to LA County, I kept the idea in my mind that I am responsible to my actions and my future. I honestly did learn that dreams do come true, even if they take a decade or more to be pursued. I will never forget the day we got home and my mother was teary-eyed and established her new dream vacation place, Nicaragua. One day we will visit Nicaragua, dream of another place to go, and make that one come true, too.