It was amid the 2020 pandemic that Olivia’s idea for the adventurePages was born. But it was the year leading up it that truly birthed the adventures these Page girls would embark on.
January 2019 began with some health issues that culminated in me being hospitalized in June. Funny how a scare like that can act as a catalyst to push you into a whole new, incredible reality. Not that it happened overnight for me. To be honest, for a few months I felt a little bitter and angry – at no one in particular really, other than myself. I wasn’t necessarily unhappy in my life – I just felt like there should be more to it than what I was experiencing. I guess women (or at least this one) can sometimes lose themselves through the day-to-day (extra)ordinariness of being a wife and mother, taking care of everyone but themselves. Not that I would have had it any other way. I love my family more than I ever thought it possible to love. But, somewhere along the way, I forgot that we are called to love others as we love ourselves (Mark 12:31). I am not sure that I ever genuinely loved myself, or even felt worthy of love, until recently. Ha. It only took 53 years to figure that out, and it’s definitely still a work in progress.
Fast-forward to October 2019 when everything shifted. I had to go to Boston for work – something I had been dreading for weeks because I felt bad about leaving my family. But guess what?! My family was fine; I was fine, and it ended up being a fantastic trip. (I work with THE most incredible team) Eight months and lots of not-so-great but life-changing decisions later (think Isaiah 61:3 – Beauty for Ashes), with an utterly shattered yet completely open heart, I decided on a whim to go skydiving. Keep in mind, I have been TERRIFIED of heights my entire life! I texted my nephew on a Thursday in June 2020 to see if he’d want to skydive with me, and three days later we jumped! It was hands down, the best thing I could have ever done for myself. And my and my sweet Olivia’s lives were forever changed.
I don’t know how it happened, but seeing me jump out of a plane gave Olivia an adventurous spirit to match my own. I feel so incredibly blessed to have finally regained my sense of adventure and more importantly, my sense of self. And I’ve gotten to witness Olivia, who just a couple years ago struggled so much with anxiety, turn into a wildly curious, courageous, bold little adventurer.
Last year we had the opportunity to take hang gliding lessons, go parasailing, jet skiing, camping, deep sea fishing, and zip lining together. But even more special than the amazing adventures we experienced together is how much we’ve grown as individuals. We dream bigger dreams now and know without a shadow of doubt we will see them all come true. We are finding so much joy and blessing in our day to day moments and are looking forward to the awesome new adventures coming our way. It feels like we’ve been given wings and we are so very grateful for this beautiful life we are now creating.
#SkydiveLancaster #BestDayEver
