What Fear Really Sounds Like (And How to Shut It Up)
I booked the orca trip. Then fear tried to talk me out of it.
Ever since I was five and saw Free Willy, I’ve dreamed of swimming with orcas. Not in SeaWorld. In the wild.
Orcas have always been my favorite animal. When I found out you can actually snorkel with them in Norway?
Game-changer.
When I was 16, all I wanted for my Sweet 16 was to see Keiko—the real Free Willy—swimming free. But he died when I was 14. So I never got to do it.
Now, as an adult, I find out this is possible—and I have to do it.
I’ve researched this trip for years. Watched the vlogs. Read the blogs. Talked to the tour company for two years straight. I was supposed to go last year, but life got in the way.
This year, I said no more waiting. I booked it.
I’m going with my mom. We’ll hit Denmark, Finland, and Sweden first—Christmas markets, Santa’s Village, all the festive magic—then end in Norway, where I’ll snorkel with orcas. My mom will stay in the boat. I’ll be the one jumping into the Arctic water.
Yes, it’s going to be freezing.
Yes, I’m terrified of deep water.
But I keep telling myself: temporary discomfort for a lifetime of wonder.
And I was excited. I really was…
Until a week later.
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