Turning Darkness into Light: How We Transformed Adversity into a Memorable Journey
I was inspired to write this book for many reasons and I would like to share it in Authors’ Lounge.
I want to show that if you have a dream, you can overcome the darkest hour and turn a negative situation into a rewarding, memorable, experience, like we did.
My husband Tony was made redundant from a managerial job after 27 years when the company downsized. He was almost 50 years old and he couldn’t find any other employment, so he was becoming very depressed.
After spending a holiday in a little fishing village called Agios Nikitas on the Greek island of Lefkas we met friends, Lynn and Paul who had a little boy, Chris who was autistic and didn’t speak at all. On our return, I sent them a video we had taken of the island including them. Lynn called me one cold November day to tell me how happy they were because after watching the video with the bright sunny images and Greek music Chris spoke for the first time as though a window had opened in his mind.
This is how my idea was born! In 1990 it was popular to take a video of your holiday, usually very badly, and invite friends round to see it.
From Rock Bottom to New Beginnings: Turning a Dream into a Creative Adventure
” I know what we could do!” I shouted with excitement.” We can go back to Agios Nikitas and make proper videos of the island of Lefkas and include personal moments for people and sell them to tourists. I’m sure they would love to buy one especially featuring them on a paraglider or having a meal with friends.” Tony was reluctant but since we had reached rock bottom, there was nowhere else to go but up. We had a mortgage that we couldn’t pay so he went along with my idea.
We went to night school to learn how to make professional videos and add music and special features. Then came the practicalities of getting the equipment. We bought a video recorder, a video copier to make copies to sell, two professional Cameras in case one broke down and 300 cassettes, we were very exceedingly hopeful.
Our idea was becoming a reality.
We needed a vehicle that would take us over 3,000 miles with all that we needed to put our idea to work. We also had to rent out our house in West Kirby, Wirral to pay the mortgage while we were gone. Luckily, we found a doctor who wanted to rent it from June until September. We had to be practical, so we sold Tony’s precious new Mercades car and looked for something more suitable. I saw an advert in the local paper, an old blue and white VW camper for sale for £1, 800. This was ideal!
We saw it standing in a street in Liverpool in pouring rain, begging to go to Greece.
Journeys usually begin at airports, ours began on our drive. One cold rainy day on 18th June we headed off on our first leg of our journey to sunnier climate.
We had planned our route carefully over the kitchen table with a bottle of whiskey for encouragement. There was a war in Yugoslavia so we had to drive down the leg of Italy.
The crossing from Dover was exciting and we were soon in France. Our first night was spent in a picnic area with basic amenities. We looked at each other in the darkness and the topsy-turviness of the van, feeling rather ill at ease.
Tony looked suddenly confused
” What the hell are we doing?” “We’re having an adventure!” I replied pushing him over onto our makeshift bed. I saw the corners of his eyes crinkle and he began to laugh. It was a moment to remember. It had been so long since I had seen him happy.
Our second night was by the side of Lake Lucerne. Our old VW slowly made its way steadily towards our goal. We could see the Adriatic Coast and our spirits lifted as we listened to the different languages and music on our radio as we drove through different countries.
Journey of a Lifetime: Adventures, Friendships, and Unforgettable Moments
As we finally passed the airport after 4 days that we had flown to in 4 hours the previous year we felt a great sense of achievement. “We’ve made it!” we shouted.
From then on, our venture progressed in so many ways. We had experiences that were so varied. Some were good, some bad, some frightening, but mainly unforgettably wonderful. Through all these encounters we made many friendships, mainly with children of the village where we showed the video on a portable television set perched on the sink of the van facing the little cobbled street of tavernas. Our small generator was hidden behind a wall.
The first night we showed the video the bright colours and Greek music drew crowds of children who sang along with the songs attracting so many people, until before long the whole street was packed with people all wanting to buy a video.
This is why I wanted to share this venture with People who might have liked to “opt out” on a Greek island but not had the opportunity.
I feel my book will cheer readers in these days of bad news all over the world.
If I hadn’t written this book I would have always looked back and wondered why.
When we came home, to our delight, Tony was offered a much better managerial position, because he had been so enterprising in the face of adversity.
What I would like for my book is for it to be made into a film. Many films on Greek islands are very popular and this story is very visual.
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