I have a very vivid memory of January 1, 2009 standing in my cousin’s kitchen when my great Aunt said to me, “Who goes to Hawaii for 4 days?” She was incredulous that I would expend the effort to fly that far for such a short period of time. But my answer, which has fueled many decisions in my life is, “why wouldn’t I?”

You see, I was flying with my bestie Eileen who was a flight attendant. She was attempting to hit all 50 states and knowing how much I hated winter, invited me to be her companion on a Hawaii trip. Since her schedule was so unpredictable, getting 4 whole days off meant the stars aligned and we were going to HAWAII with about 8 days’ notice. I was bursting with anticipation and nervousness, as a planner flying standby is nerve-wracking, but as a frugal filly I couldn’t turn down FREE Airfare to Honolulu! I had always loved to travel and jumped at any chance that was offered, but only recently started taking trips that were bolder than a bus trip to Cincinnati.

Candidly, I remember more from those four whirlwind days than I do from some whole vacations that occurred more recently.  We had hoped to snag some first-class seats, but as it was Hawaii in January it was quite full, so we flew in middle seats from Chicago to Honolulu. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

You see, Eileen looooooves turtles! She has two plush turtles named Ren and Kohl that have been with her on so many adventures since we met in 2005. Hawaii has sea turtles, so we were going to do anything in our power to find some in the wild. I bought us GoOahu cards with tons of included activities, and we made the most of every minute.

As a history lover, I got to see and understand Pearl Harbor in a way that reading about it never could. I had chills during the entire boat trip out to the Memorial. When I look at the pictures, I still get goosebumps remembering how being in the presence of such powerful history made me feel.

We went snorkeling early one morning in a secluded cove and spotted a Sea Turtle in the wild. Actually, Eileen saw it and SCREAMED in joy through her snorkel and I quickly swam over to see it in person. We took an afternoon cruise along the coast and despite the overly abundant seasick passengers, we spotted more turtles swimming at the surface. It was meant to be.

We went to a Luau where we met Kai our tour guide and ate the most delicious pineapple I’ve ever tasted. We learned the hula and ate poi. Eileen, who is a lifelong vegetarian, even tried some of the pork that roasted in the ground. We went surfing which I HATED. I fell off my board into a coral reef that tore off my bikini bottoms and left me bleeding, stranded half naked in the ocean. I ended up hiding behind my board trying to run to shore where they gifted me a pair of commemorative Hawaii shorts to cover my white tushy. But I can honestly say that I’ve tried surfing! And in Hawaii no less.

On the way home, we were stranded in the airport for 9 hours, as every plane to the mainland was full to a person. But the airport was open air and I had a book; there are many worse places to be stranded. And despite getting a redeye from San Francisco back to DC and then having to drive straight to work in Philadelphia, I wouldn’t change it for anything.

I’ve spent my life with one guiding principle when I am unsure of a decision, “will I regret it if I don’t?” I always knew that I am far more likely to regret what I did NOT do, than the things I have. Sitting here even today, if you ask me my regrets the only one that comes quickly to mind is that I did not study abroad in college. The reasons seemed complicated at the time, but in hindsight I should have made it a priority because I believe it would have accelerated my transformation into my true self. It would have given me insights into a bigger world and a more understanding moral compass that took me decades to develop otherwise.

Life truly is a compilation of moments. Sometimes it’s the simple moments and others it’s the scary ones where you get uncomfortable and jump in with both feet, embracing the unknown! It’s cliche because it’s true: you don’t grow if you aren’t uncomfortable. You can’t learn until you look beyond your nose at the people and the world around you. It is possible to think big picture while embracing the small joys. Say YES to that next adventure: the concert, road trip, new food or new friend. Even if you don’t love it, you’ll have tried it and you’ll have more information and a better perspective for the next decision that’s coming your way.

Do yourself a favor and say, “yes!”.