When the Universe Aligns Making a Dream Reality
When the Universe Aligns Making a Dream RealityEnglish Channel Journey – Prologue
Have you ever had a dream or a goal that lived quietly in the back of your mind? Something you tucked away on your bucket list — not because it wasn’t important, but because the timing wasn’t quite right? I can pinpoint exactly when the seed was planted. The seed that someday I might swim the English Channel.
It was 2014, and I was in Maho Bay at a Total Immersion open water swim camp. I was an adult-learned swimmer, a Triathlete, and among accomplished open-water swimmers. I swam with Terry Laughlin, the founder of Total Immersion; Dave Barra, a 2017 inductee into the Open Water Swimming Hall of Fame; and Kirsten Sass, a multiple triathlon champion. For those that know my ‘middle of the pack’ Triathlon speed, your know I brought my “Where fear and Courage Meet” mindset. Swimming with these greats made me feel that one day, I could accomplish a large swim goal. It motivated me to swim better, further, faster. I didn’t know when or how it would happen, but the seed for the English Channel was planted. One day, the universe will align making dreams reality.
🌌 Letting the Dream Percolate
Life is busy. Work, family, and responsibilities often take priority over big adventures. But even when we aren’t actively chasing a goal, the idea simmers in the background. Over time, we gather experiences, people, and resources that we’ll one day need to bring it to life.
I like to let the dream percolate. Like a strong cup of coffee, the richness comes with patience.
I look back at the nurturing of the English Channel seed. There were many fertilizers along the way, but I can pinpoint the most important.
2014 Meeting the great Marilyn Bell (Di Lascio) at a Total Immersion swim coaching conference
2016 Swim Client Thie Convery comes to Kamloops for Total Immersion lessons. She had to abort her crossing of Lake Ontario due to the weather. She swims at Paul Lake without a wetsuit in 18-degree water. My mind asks, ‘Could I do that?’
2018 Coaching long-distance swimmer Jessi Harewicz on the 2-beat kick, a relationship that continues as friend and crew member
2020 Trying out Covid Cold water dips with my cousin in Victoria
2021 Swim Client Linda Doan gave me the Wim Hoff book
2023 Cold plunging with my bestie in South Carolina
⭐ When the Stars Align
Fast forward a decade to 2024. Liz Halloran announced to campers while participating in my Penticton Open Water camp that she booked an English Channel crossing for June 2026. She attended the open-water swim camp to help make her dream a reality. She mentioned that she was looking for relay participants.
Suddenly, the courage I’ve been building quietly over the years shows up. I am an empty nester. I am a swim coach with a business tagline: ‘where fear and courage meet.’ I coach fearful adults to harness their fear and use it to accomplish their goals. This is the right opportunity. The right person showed up.
And in that moment, I realized — the universe has been preparing me all along.
That bucket list item I once thought was impossible is right in front of me, waiting to be embraced.
After the Penticton open water camp, I contacted Liz and asked if I could be part of her relay team. She said, ‘Yes, I am so excited, I am crying.’
🚀 From Thought to Reality
Maybe it’s standing at the edge of a lake about to begin an open water swim. Perhaps it’s stepping onto a plane to finally walk the Camino. It could be signing up for a triathlon you once thought was beyond your reach. Big dreams don’t always happen overnight. But when you give them time, space, and belief, they often unfold in ways more powerful than you imagined.
You can let the universe guide your path, but it also takes dedication and hard work to realize your dream. I have 2 years to train and prepare. I will have ups and downs and will share details along the way. I will live a life ‘where fear and courage meet’
💡Coaching perspective
If you’ve got a bucket list item in your heart, don’t give up on it. Write it down. Hold it close. Even if it feels far away, trust that with time, patience, and courage, the stars will align.
Because sometimes, the universe needs a little time to catch up with your dreams.
🏊🏼♀️ Ready to Start Your Impossible?
Join us for a Tri Balance clinic or open-water camp and take the first step toward your own bucket-list goal.
