Genevieve Brown
Perspective
Perspective
Genevieve Brown
Recovery: Living out "Go slow to go far"
Recovery: Living out "Go slow to go far"
Genevieve Brown
Hardangervidda Day 7
Hardangervidda Day 7
Genevieve Brown
Hardangervidda Day 6
Hardangervidda Day 6
Genevieve Brown
Hardangervidda Day 5
Hardangervidda Day 5

storylines

The End of the Story

As I was watching last week’s episode of Victoria I was struck by the storyline of how the Royal Exhibition and the Crystal Palace came into being.

Facing seemingly insurmountable financial and logistical obstacles with the construction of a pavilion to house the Great Exhibition of 1851 in Hyde Park, Price Albert came to a breaking point and wanted to give up on the project.

Now whilst I empathised with his frustrations I wasn’t overly concerned because I know the end of the story. I know that Prince Albert and the committee managed to overcome many obstacles through their tenacity; their ingenuity, and their willingness to break the mould in spite of their critics and naysayers.

As the story unfolded I found myself pausing to reflect on my own incredibly daunting project. If I had a penny for all the naysayers, the doubts, the fears, and the obstacles I face daily, I think I would have enough to fund the expedition in its entirety. Like Prince Albert, I find myself feeling like giving up because of the strain of resistance; barriers to funding; the many impossibilities and the disappointments all seem insurmountable. But then I stop to think of some future reader of this crazy tale of a girl from the Caribbean who decided to ski to the South Pole to raise awareness on Lyme Disease despite her lack of skills, funds, and her blatant abhorrence of cold weather. I imagine that they will smile at my occasional feelings of hopelessness because they will know how the story ends.

I love how a period drama on the early reign of Queen Victoria has made me see things differently. It’s amazing how a change in perspective can shine a ray of hope into a seemingly hopeless situation. It makes me eternally thankful for these tough, character forming and priceless lessons that have become a part of my journey.

And so I’d like to leave you with the following encouragement. If you’re going through a particularly tough situation that seems utterly hopeless; if everyone is telling you that you’ll never get through this; if you feel like you’re at the end of your tether…..then TAKE HEART…You haven’t yet reached the end of the story!