Giving up and the lesson I need to learn.

With great excitement, my little sister and I would trawl around the Travel Agents of Horsham, collecting travel brochures and pretending we were going on holiday. Once collected, we would take them all home and set up our very own Travel Agents in our bedroom. I loved the thrill of collecting the brochures and making sure we had a good range of different countries and types of holidays for our own Agency. I took great pleasure in laying the brochures out so we had the perfect display, and making the signs that said "Come to Helen and Trudi's Travel Agency" or "Special Offers!".

Once we were satisfied with the perfection of our Travel Agents, we were ready to begin the game. Except that I was not. To my sister's frustration, I then announced that "I don't want to play anymore." For me, the buzz was in the setting up. The adventure and the action of setting up the game was all I was interested in, leaving my poor sister vexed and annoyed with me.

Now, with a family of my own, I greet this battle again head on. Setting up our own business is full of emotional ups and downs with the heady excitement of other people's interest and the reality of the long hard slog ahead. I find myself thinking yet again "I don't want to do this anymore". I have many excuses: The challenge is too hard. We don't have enough money to make it work and can't seem to find anyone who will sponsor or support us. We are using up every evening available and every spare minute of our time. Jared is also trying to hold down a full time job. Our family time is being sacrificed.

Yet this time, I cannot just give up. We have come too far for me to walk out of the room, throwing the travel brochures down behind me. Yes, it is extremely hard work and yes, I am tired of it all. Do I think we will make it? I honestly don't know, but we have to try. We are so passionate about inspiring families to love the outdoors and to discover the wilderness and beauty of creation that we just have to keep going. It's not easy though and the battle of giving up is often hovering behind me, whispering in my ear. Perhaps, to my sister's relief, this time I will learn to persevere.