This last weekend, we went down to Table Rock Lake with my dear friend Alaina and her family. They graciously hosted us and gave us just the very best lake day trip we could’ve ever asked for. We all ate together, shared laughs together, made memories together and somewhere in all of this joy and fun out in nature, I had such a beautiful moment with my daughter. As a kid, and realistically all the way up until just before my 24th birthday, I was pretty fearless. I had no qualms about going anywhere, doing anything and willing to try just about anything. It was partially naiveté and partially just a confidence that I could do anything. In January 2024, though, while swimming with manatees, I acquired a bit of a fear of the water – more specifically oceans and lakes. The guide on this snorkeling tour gave warning of alligators and sharks in the river. It was in that moment, as a solo traveler, that I realized, I could get attacked by an animal and, realistically, no one was going to help me. Then, the idea that these big massive creatures were going to potentially swim up to me […]