My Trip to Antarctica

An evolution of a post I originally wrote for A Little Great.

There's a very good analogy I've heard referred to many times entitled "Welcome to Holland".  Maybe you've heard it, too.  In the analogy a traveler is at first dismayed when she realizes that instead of arriving in Italy for her dream vacation, as she had expected, she has arrived in Holland.  The "gist" of the story is that sometimes in life we don't get to take the "trip" we originally envision or expect, but that the new "trip" we find ourselves on is just as good, only in different ways.  The story was originally written for parents of children with disabilities, but can also be applied to others experiencing challenges and adversity.

Over the years I've given this story a lot of thought, and lately I have decided to modify it a bit to relate more widely to my own life.  I've decided that for me life's trials and disappointments, whatever they may be, are more like a trip to ANTARCTICA.

Why?  Well, personally, I've had my share of challenges, and I often don't find the disappointing, frustrating, painful, grief-inducing experiences of life to be  "just as fun and interesting, only in a different way" as the life experiences I had originally planned and hoped for.  I find them to be HARD.  That aside, they are still worth the airfare.  

Here are a few ways that the Antarctica analogy works for me:

• On our trip to Antarctica we can learn many valuable things, just as real researchers do.  We can also experience joy, as we learn to appreciate Antarctica's unique wonders.
• Even though Antarctica can be cold and lonely at times, we can build significant  relationships with the people on our expedition with us.  Because of the harsh conditions we experience together, these relationships may even be stronger, deeper and more meaningful than the relationships we might have built if we had gone to our desired destinations and luxuriated on the beach, each engrossed in our own novels. 
• In Antarctica it is very important for researchers to have access to a radio connection to "home base" at all times.  When we are in our own Antarctica we face such harsh conditions that we also often find it necessary to rely heavily on this connection. It gives us needed guidance and assures us that someone knows and understands our location and situation. If things were easier, as in Italy, we might not choose to "use our radios" as often, missing out on this comforting information. 

Some of our "trips to Antarctica" are only short layovers.  We look back on them as times of great learning and growth.  We feel a sense of accomplishment at the discoveries we made there.  We appreciate the comforts of home more once we return.  Other times, our stays are extended. 


Regardless of the length of our stay, through making the journey we learn and grow in ways we couldn't have otherwise.  We become stronger, more compassionate towards our fellow travelers and learn on a deeper level that we truly are never alone.  


And, in the end, isn't that really better than spending endless days basking in the sun?


What do you you think?  Does this analogy work for you?  I'd love your comments.