The Unexpected Road of Life

Not long ago I went on a trip--a trip I had been looking forward to for years. I had gone to Disney World as a young teen with my family and ever since then, one of my sisters and I had been trying to get back. Well, now as a widowed mother of three kids, and my sister a single woman, we decided it was time. So, we planned and purchased and planned some more, and got excited about all Disney World has to offer. We had cheap flights, Disney World park tickets, and a local hotel in Orlando for mid-March. What we didn’t know was that the very week we had planned to go was the public school’s spring break in Orlando. We also didn’t know that making park reservations (a.k.a. picking which of the four Disney World parks we entered each day) was so important.

 So, about a week before we were supposed to leave, I suddenly remembered to make reservations. I got online, only to find that all four Disney World parks were sold out of reservations. Disney had sold more tickets than they had reservation space for. This hadn’t occurred as a possibility to me. I spent some time on the phone and quickly realized we would not be going to Disney World. We wouldn’t need the Mickey ears, we wouldn’t be riding the roller coasters or seeing the shows I had hoped for. None of the planning I had done was helpful now. It would not be what I thought it would. With the flights and hotel nights already in hand, my sister and I looked at each other and said, “Well, what else can we do there?” Universal Studios is supposed to be a really fun theme park and it was the only place near enough, so I worked on selling myself and my kids on this change of plans for the next week. We got excited about Harry Potter and Dr. Suess land, and we already loved Minions. So, we showed up that week and honestly, had a great time.

There was one night, however, that we had planned on going to the Disney Polynesian Resort for dinner and watching the Magic Kingdom fireworks afterwards, and we decided to keep those plans since we didn’t need Disney tickets to do it. The dinner was delicious (much better than Universal!) and afterwards we sat on a little fake beach and waited for the fireworks across the lake. As the show started, I looked around at my kids playing in the sand and thought about how life had not gone as I expected or wanted. I did not think marriage would be such a difficult burden, I didn’t not think it would end, I didn’t think my husband would take his own life, and I did not ever think my kids would grow up without their father. As I looked back at Magic Kingdom, I grieved for all the life plans that had fallen away, leaving me with a path I could never have wished for. And yet, that vacation was a beautiful experience that I can’t ever forget.

When I think about that trip to Universal Studios now, it symbolizes so much of the changed plans in my life. At every corner, no matter how dark it may seem, there truly is light and joy to be found on the path given to us.  I have learned on my life path that I am braver than I ever knew, that there is help and love all around me, and that while growth is painful, growth is also precious, and I wouldn’t trade all that I have learned for anything in the world. Maybe I didn’t want Universal Studios, but maybe it was exactly what I needed.

And for those curious, we did make it to Disney World another year! Just not at the time we expected. To all those who are struggling with the dark path up ahead of you, you are not alone! You are braver than you think. You are so very loved. And you will be amazed at all the ways you have grown one day.