August 2021 • 3 min read
9 Don't Put Off Your Dreams
Hold Fast to Dreams
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
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Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
- Langston Hughes​​​​​​​
Since travel is a high priority for Betty and me, and we didn’t know how long I would be able to travel. We took two big trips the year of my diagnosis. First, during the summer, we stayed in Denali National Park and then we took a bush plane to camp along the Arctic Ocean in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Then, in late fall, we visited Bhutan and Thailand.
Because of winter weather, we were too late for the 2008 Bhutan group trips, so we hired a guide and driver through a travel company and went on our own. Both trips were wonderful and motivated me to stay healthy and active in order for us to take more international trips together. Betty travels on her own, but we both agree it just isn’t the same as sharing these adventures together.
BHUTAN
My dream of exploring Mongolia was unrealistic given difficult travel conditions, but in subsequent years we followed up with trips to Botswana, Zambia, Spain, Morocco, Japan, Patagonia (Argentina and Chile) and Belize. We have been so fortunate to be able to visit some of the most magical places on earth. During these trips, I have often found myself in awe and reverence for our incredible planet.
MOROCCO
See Appendix B for a short story of my profound wildlife encounter in ANWR.
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As Langston Hughes suggests above in his poem on dreams, it is important to “hold fast to dreams,” even for those of us with ALS. We need to be realistic, although we should continue to have dreams. Our dreams might involve ourselves, our loved ones, our community or world.
International travel is important to Betty and me, so we have worked hard and saved in order to take our dream trips. We enjoy the adventure, although it is much more than that. International travel has taken us out of our comfort zones. It has helped shape the way we see the world, how we react to different situations and the people we are.
PHIL GRABS THE LION'S TAIL IN ZAMBIA
Much of our travel has been on our own, involving interacting with local people in the countries that we visit. We have learned much from these people and their cultures. It has helped us remember we are all inter-connected, dependent on one another and are part of magnificent planet Earth. International travel is an adventure, often challenging and an experience you will never forget.
Our experiences have always been positive. We have found the people in all the countries we have visited to be kind and helpful. This gives us hope that the many problems currently facing the world are solvable. I truly believe that deep down, most people throughout the world are striving for the same thing: happiness. joy, love, peace of mind, purpose and belonging.
The 24-hour news cycles would have us believe otherwise, but we have first-hand experience that tells us most people are kind and trying to do their best.
Betty and I have also been fortunate to have taken other trips to different regions of the United States, where we have experienced different cultures and perspectives. Some of our favorite trips have been to Alaska, Louisiana, New York City and national parks and monuments.
Each trip has become physically more difficult for me, but if there is the will, we have been able to find a way. We are so glad we took these trips before my advancing physical limitations and the current COVID-19 travel restrictions. A silver lining caused by these restrictions and our shrinking travel budget has been discovering many treasures in New Mexico that we have been missing out on.
"Dream big, occupy your hopes, don't stop now."
- Rebecca Solnit