It was time for me to change my scenery from my once moderate-sized city of Jersey City, NJ, which is becoming a mini–New York City. Its constant construction of mega tall buildings would hurt anyone’s neck as they tried to look up and count the floors. Every corner in this quickly growing city is becoming a traffic nightmare where I seldom want to drive. So, yes, it was time for my needed vacation and to get out of dodge, if you will.

This was my first time flying as a single passenger with no family with me. It was just me and God. While planning my trip, it was a little tricky with multiple destinations, but it was fun in all the same. My journey consisted of a five-night, six-day trip. Seems like a lot for a person with mobility issues, but God had a plan better than my own.

As I sat on the plane and we were about to take off, I screamed in my head, “What am I doing? I can’t fly on my own. I can’t travel almost eight hundred miles by myself.” Anxiety had hit me. I didn’t know existed. As a single woman, I’m used to going places on my own because I love to travel and see the world. However, this was a different type of traveling, which meant I couldn’t get back home in four hours or fewer.

While the plane slowly left the tarmac, I felt my stomach drop, and that was frightening. Then God showed me something as I closed my eyes. He showed me the reason for my vacation. That was seeing my family and visiting my late father’s grave. I was stepping out of my comfort zone to get moving.

Yes, I use a cane from time to time to get around. However, that is no reason for me to be scared that I don’t live my life. I will not let it be an obstacle that prevents me from enjoying this life God blessed me with. After this realization, I settled back into my seat on the plane, and I enjoyed the ride. So much so that I even wrote a whole blog post while flying.

My adventure led me to several towns in South Carolina. My first stop was Charleston, SC, where coincidentally I went to a bookstore before doing anything else. As a writer, it’s a must for me to bring back a book on all of my travels. I visited The Battery in downtown and explored the area while checking out the vibrantly colored homes on Rainbow Row and the pretty horse-drawn carriages.

Hollywood, SC was my next stop. It’s a nice small town of less than seven thousand people, about twenty miles from Charleston. This is the type of town where everybody knows everybody and with the charming homes, it could easily end up being the setting for a novel. There I visited my family and friends. And everyone kept saying the same thing, including people I didn’t know. “You’re Russell’s daughter.” That’s because I’m a spitting image of my late father. Fifteen years after my last visit and people are still looking at me saying the same thing. To me, that was great because not only did they remember my father, but they also remembered me. What a heartfelt welcome.

Rounding out my multi day vacation was going to Columbia SC to visit more family. This beautiful capital city where I got to explore the monuments, the State building and the gorgeous town was awesome. The homes both in complexes and stand alone were simple breathtaking. Despite a minor hiccup, my vacation was amazing and I’m glad I went.

Limitations are something that either we put on ourselves or that are put on us. However, just like an obstacle course, they are always different ways of getting to your final destination. You just must trust God first and He will move your mountains and valleys out of your way. For He is the mover of all things great and small.