Tracy Briggs: Why I told my excuses to 'sit down and shut up'

Oct. 4—It's pretty weird when a friend most known for her talent in musical theater strikes a nerve quoting Michael Jordan.

But that's what happened a few years ago with my friend Angie Schulz.

Some of you know Angie. She's an accomplished actor and singer in our region. We became friends through church and because our two youngest children became pals largely through participating in music, speech and theater activities in Moorhead.

And while Angie and I did our share of bonding over sewing buttons on costumes or serving during speech potlucks, it's that Michael Jordan moment that really stands out.

It was years earlier in the basement of Trinity Lutheran Church while we were waiting for the girls to get out of Sunday School. Angie had just gotten back from a trip overseas. I don't recall where she went. But I remember telling her one of my dream trips would be to go to the British Isles.

My ancestry is largely English, Irish and Scottish, and I wanted to learn more about the people and history of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

I remember her saying "What are you waiting for? Just do it!"

"Just do it!" The Nike slogan made famous by Michael Jordan all those years ago took on new meaning coming from my friend who was more apt to wear tap shoes than high-top sneakers.

Here's the thing. While I wanted to "just do it" — go on the trip — I always had a reason (or 50) not to go. I didn't have the money, work was busy, we had to do improvements on the house, and it wasn't fair to leave my husband, kids, and dogs for such a long time, etc.

I'd go "someday," I told myself.

However last year, I decided the waiting was over. "Someday" had to be now. I came to that conclusion with my college friend Deb Dirks who also had always dreamed of a trip to the British Isles. She had the same excuses not to make it happen. But over a conversation during a sorority reunion, we decided to tell our excuses to "sit down and shut up!" We were going. Period. End of discussion.

Why the change of heart?

I realized that I am now three years older than my mom was when she died suddenly in 1992. Deb is just a year younger than her father was when he died, also unexpectedly.

What were we waiting for? Tomorrow is guaranteed to no one. Didn't the premature death of our parents teach us that? And if that didn't, wasn't it a harsh lesson so many learned during the pandemic?

So off we went in early September for 12 days. We called it a "sampler platter" trip to the three countries. We knew we couldn't see it all, but we wanted to get a taste of what each nation had to offer.

I won't go into all the boring details. But the trip was an absolute blast, full of castles, tea, history, Scotch and scones. (And yes, I even tried haggis. And liked it).

I came within a couple of miles of the small Scottish village where my five-time great-grandfather David Briggs lived before coming to the United States around 1750. I was also near Worcestershire, England, where another branch of the family worked as carpet weavers before going WAY outside their comfort zone — immigrating to Worcester, Massachusetts to become carpet weavers.

I met fascinating and truly hysterical people — like the Irish mother and daughter at the Jameson Whiskey Distillery Tour having a cocktail before going to Shania Twain's concert in Dublin. I wish I had gotten their contact info. I want to be their friend, although I don't think I'm Irish enough to keep up.

We came home after nearly two weeks, exhausted, full of carbs and memories. With the frequent scrolling of the photos on our phones, during our obnoxiously long layover at O'Hare, we relived the fun that was so many years in the making.

(A quick aside — whenever I'd feel too sorry for myself for the 11 hours I had to spend in Chicago's airport before my flight home to Fargo, I thought about what I learned in Ireland — the hardships my ancestors faced in their weeks-long journey to America following their escape during Ireland's Great Potato Famine. What would they have given for just 11 hours in a place with full access to Chicago dogs, Garrett Popcorn, and massage chairs? Time to toughen up 21st-century girl.)

Did I suddenly come up with all of the thousands of dollars it took to do this? Um, not really. I saved some, but I've come up with ideas on how to pay for the rest of it. And guess what? My husband, children, and even the dogs survived my 12 days away just fine. And they got some pretty cool souvenirs to boot.

Your dream might not be to take a trip. Maybe you've always wanted to learn a new skill like playing guitar or tap dancing. Maybe you want to go outside your comfort zone and go skydiving or buy that Harley Davidson. Maybe you're sick of your job and you want to go back to school or switch careers.

Certainly, the reasons and excuses not to do something can be very real. I'm not a Pollyanna all day, every day. I know we all have responsibilities and finances can be seriously limiting. But maybe it's time to ask yourself if there is any way you can make your dreams happen. Is there a strategy to finally accomplish what you want to accomplish? Maybe you should stop waiting and "just do it" as Angie told me all those years ago.

I couldn't help but think of my mom during my trip. Was there something she wished she had done before that stupid brain aneurysm took her away from us when she was just 55? Being in the 'old country' I certainly thought about my long-ago ancestors, but this was more about my mom and the opportunities she never got.

My credit card balance and weight might be a little higher after my trip. But what I got in return far outweighs any of that.

I'm glad I finally made my "someday" trip happen. I don't regret a second of it. And I wish the same for you. Even the haggis.