I have some friends who complain that they are too old to (fill in the blank) and they’re in the early 30’s! It’s time like this I thoroughly embrace sharing stories of this magnitude.

Jennifer Figge, a 56-year-old Colorado native, lived out a dream she had since the 1960’s, when she crossed the Atlantic in a plane. The flight was rather tumultuous and she wondered, if the plane crashed, whether she could don a life jacket and swim the rest of the way.

Imagine that…a little idea, based on some very real fear, that grows and grows over decades until you finally watch it manifest. Perhaps all of our “worst imaginings” have a germ of hope in them; a dream deep inside. Nice to think of the next time you’re filled with anxiety over something!

FIgge left the Cape Verde Islands off the western coast of Africa on Jan. 12, contending with waves of up to 30 feet and strong winds. On February 7, she made her Transatlanic destination of Trinidad. She plans to continue her journey, swimming from Trinidad to the British Virgin Islands, where she expects to arrive in late February, then back home to Aspen, to see her dog Hank.

Read more about her amazing journey and the preparation behind it.