© Megan Sullivan
She wants to tell us: when life hands us lemons, let's make lemonade!
15 April 2016 12:30
Brilio.net/en - How would most people react after being diagnosed with cancer? Burst into tears? Lock themselves in their rooms for God-knows how long? Stop living? But this particular lady, the bravest and strongest one, travelled 12 countries, took 15 flights, had a tripod confiscated, travelled 28,211 miles all in the name of seeing the seven wonders of the world in 13 days.
I fell 50-feet climbing in Yosemite, got hit by a car and then diagnosed with skin cancer, all in one month, wrote Megan Sullivan on Boredpanda. Two weeks later, I decided to see the 7 New Wonders of the World in just 13 days with a new outlook on life: to live more now.
For every Wonder she encounters, she took a photograph of her standing in front of the beautiful landmark, with one of her hand raised as if counting the days. Check these lovely shots out:
Day 1: Chichen Itza, Mexico
Image via boredpandaMegan Sullivan
For Sullivan, it all started when she took a fall in Yosemite Valley, where she had been training for three years to climb the Nose route on El Capitan.
I was 2,000 feet up when I took a terrifying 50-foot fall. After a fall like that, I started to question everything from why am I putting myself into these scary situations to what is driving me to seek out these ambitious climbs? she wrote. What am I trying to prove to myself, or better yet, to the world?
With the question in head, she hit Chichen Itza, an ancient city of Maya in Mexico, as the beginning of her 13-day adventure.
Day 2: Machu Picchu, Peru
Image via boredpandaMegan Sullivan
Only a week after her fall in Yosemite, she had a terrible bike accident before diagnosed with skin cancer.
Like something out of a movie A week later I was hit by a car while riding my Vespa and then diagnosed with skin cancer during a routine check-up. In three weeks time I was handed the trifecta of bad luck, she wrote.
Day 4: Cristo Redentor, Brazil
Image via boredpandaMegan Sullivan
Remember the Bubble Boy 2001 movie? Thats what her friends and family suggest her to be. But just like the 98-feet-tall Jesus Christ statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she stood on a mountaintop and survived.
My friends and family only half-jokingly recommended me to purchase a giant human bubble to live in. She recalled. But after realizing how expensive and very inconvenient to my dating life that would be, I had this great moment of clarity: I survived.
Day 6: Colosseum, Italy
Image via boredpandaMegan Sullivan
When visiting Colosseum in Rome, Italy, we can picture the ancient ruin holding tales of serious tragedies and horrors within the sturdy, century-defying walls. But out of terrible losses, we will see a new light of change and hope.
In my lifetime, the greatest learning moments have come at a time of tragedy and loss. From loss comes radical change, for it opens up a space that is yearning for something new, Sullivan wrote.
Day 8: Petra, Jordan
Image via boredpandaMegan Sullivan
Deep within the deserts of Jordan, through a narrow gorge, the ancient city of Petra emerges into view, revealing awe-inspiring monuments cut into the surrounding cliffs.
After the worst month of my life, I started to rethink how I was living my life. I came to this amazing realization, Sullivan wrote. That the only thing stopping me from having everything that I ever wanted in life was simple: me.
Day 11: Taj Mahal
Image via boredpandaMegan Sullivan
The grandest, most beautiful proof of eternal love stood in the city of Agra, India. Taj Mahal is a centerpiece of a 42-acre mausoleum complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house.
I would always say, there isnt enough time or money but those were just excuses. What I was really afraid of was a failure. I needed to stop thinking that my goals were impossible and start thinking that I have the power to decide how I am going to live my life every day, said Sullivan.
Day 12: Great Wall of China
Image via boredpandaMegan Sullivan
The Great Wall reflects collision and exchanges between agricultural civilizations and nomadic civilizations in ancient China.
The only regrets that I have in my life are the missed opportunities that I never took a chance on. This year I took a chance and I will continue taking chancing to experience the greatest adventure of all: my life, she wrote.
Sullivans experience taught us one thing: instead of drowning in despair, she found courage in her weakness. She wants to tell us: when life hands us lemons, let's make lemonade!
