From the Publisher

I’m the first to tell you that I am not an adventurous person. At least not in the way most people think of adventurous: traveling the world, skydiving, zip-lining. These things are not on my “must do before I die” list. Actually though, if I must admit it, I don’t even have a “must do before I die” list. Honestly, I am a self-proclaimed chicken. However, I often find myself raising my hand and placing myself in the middle of, I’ll just say, situations. I’m wired weird. What can I say? For instance, while most would rather die than speak publicly, I actually feel quite comfortable before an audience. I thrive under stress and rise to the occasion for every big challenge thrown my way. In fact, the bigger the better! But ask me to go away for a weekend where I have to get on a plane, and I’ll melt down like butter on hot corn. Last fall, I found myself in a rather unusual position. We were in St. Augustine, Crescent Beach to be exact, for my husband’s annual family reunion. My sister-in-law, Karen, had purchased a “swim-with-the –dolphins” package at Marineland for her grandson, my nine year old great nephew, Jake. As I was cooking breakfast in our villa, Jake came in and said, “Is anyone here willing to swim with me at Marineland? I have to have an adult go in with me.” Without hesitation, and obviously without checking with my brain, I said, “I will.” This is what I do to myself. Here I put myself in a situation completely out of my realm of comfort. Number one, I had just agreed to swim with the fishes; and number two, even worse, I had to put on a bathing suit and get into a pool that was surrounded by bleachers filled with spectators. Horrors! Why did I open my big mouth? Although, I have to admit, I was excited. That is why my palms were sweating on the way there…right? But I love dolphins. So many times here in Hilton Head have I wanted to reach out and hug a dolphin. Here was my chance and I wasn’t backing down. “Chicken or not, I’m swimming with the dolphins or bust!” I put on a brave face for Jake and walked in as if I were Jacques Cousteau. The pool was huge and deep. Surely they weren’t going to make me put my feet on the dolphins nose and come up out of the water at lightning speed, rising from a depth of 25 feet below the surface; raising my arms to the sky in a “ta-da” fashion, as the spectators cheered and clapped as if I was an ice skater that had just performed a perfect triple sow cow. No. Impossible. You have to have experience to do that. Right? Well, it was finally our turn to spend a full hour in the pool with the dolphins. Oh, how I love these creatures. When I got in the pool (with our instructor), most of my fears faded. We petted, hugged and kissed the dolphins. They would roll over just like my little dog at home and beckon us to rub their tummies. They were so sweet and gentle and soft. I never wanted to get out of that pool. The joy of the dolphins spread throughout me. I felt so close to nature and was thankful for this experience from the very first touch. This was a magical, powerful moment in my life in so many ways. I accomplished something I thought I would never do, I bonded with Jake, I marveled at the power of God, and I did not let fear stop me as it had so many times in the past. So what is it that you fear? What are you giving up for fear? Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” My life changed a little that day. I surprised myself. I faced an unknown, and in return, I got the time of my life. You couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face that afternoon. I had more fun than Jake. And this year at the reunion, I plan on doing it again! Welcome to the travel and adventure issue of Pink. Our line-up this month is powerful. Women never cease to amaze me. This issue makes me want to shout, “We are women, hear us roar!” Don’t forget to send in your pet pictures for our April issue and I look forward to seeing you at the Pink Partini on March 13 at the Quarterdeck in Harbourtown and at our Live Smart series on March 26. We are thrilled to welcome Deb Copeland, the author of Attitude Therapy. She is fantastic and motivating! If you, an employee, co-worker, friend or family member needs a gentle attitude adjustment, they won’t be able to leave this seminar without being rejuvenated, encouraged and inspired. See you there and until then,