Very soon, we'll celebrate the American holiday now known for tethered inflatables, first downs, and over indulging.  We call it Thanksgiving, and while our grade school teachers did their best to educate us on the pilgrims, what about the pilgrim-esses?  Who were they and what kind of courage must it have taken for them to leave behind all that was familiar, entering completely uncharted waters?

The Mayflower left Plymouth, England, on September 6, 1620, with 18 women on board. Three were six months pregnant or more and one gave birth during the voyage.  As soon as the ship dropped anchor on the American coast on November 11, the men began exploring and building living quarters, while the women and children remained on the ship throughout the winter of 1621. Disease, low rations, and defending themselves against the harmful things that lurked in the new land took their toll.  Only four women survived to be present at the next year's feast we now call the "First Thanksgiving." 

I think that of all the fears the pilgrims faced, the vast unknown that spread out before them must have been the most frightening.  And it remains so today.   Why are children afraid of what's in the closet or under the bed?  They've never seen anything scary there.  It's what might be there that's so frightening.  We always assume what we don't know will certainly hurt us.  And we carry that assumption into adulthood.  Sadly, it prevents us from doing a great many things.

But here's an interesting thought: do you realize that everything you've ever done was once unknown to you?  Speaking in front of a group, driving a car, diving into a body of water - things we do now without hesitation at one time fell into the vast unknown.  Courageously experiencing them the first time makes them old hat to us now.  So how can we find that courage when we face new unknown territory?  By remembering the rose, a beautiful flower with a sweet fragrance, but one whose thorns protect it against the unknown.

R - First, recognize that you're entering uncharted and unfamiliar territory before you're knee deep in it.  It's the old "look before you leap" theory.
O - Next, observe your surroundings and look for something or someone familiar.  Information gained from a past experience can be used in the present.
S - Search your memory banks for similar situations in which you were successful.  Everyone's been successful at some time in their life - remembering that success gives your courage an enormous boost.
E - And finally engage all of the above as you move forward.  Just like the rose's thorns, they will give you protection against the unknown. 

 

To pilgrims and pilgrim-esses alike, Happy Thanksgiving!