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Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, The Mummy. Growing up, my dad would always introduce my sisters and I to the coolest movies, even if we didn’t realize how great they were until after we watched them. I can still remember how his face lit up when he’d share his favorite scenes with us for the first time – it was magnetic and contagious.

It was December 2002 when my dad first dragged me to see The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. An awkward middle school student at the time, all I could think was how embarrassing it would be if we ran into friends. “Please don’t take me!”, I begged. “No one can see me watching this.” Of course, the only response I received was some dad joke about how dark the theaters were. So, off we went.

3 hours later, the veil had surely lifted. I was no longer embarrassed, but intrigued… even if I was too proud admit it. My dad must have noticed because when we were walking to the car he asked me in his round-about way, “Next weekend, want to watch Fellowship?”.

Ever since that intense intro to Lord of the Rings, I’ve been captivated by fantasy and adventure. I consumed all the content, collected all the memorabilia and even fought my way into the film and video game industries so I could experience even more of these genres that I loved.

Then, in August 2017, everything changed. I had been planning a trip to New Zealand, excited to see The Shire and Rivendell, when my dad was suddenly diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.

Trying to wrap my head around things, my trip became a big “what if…“. I didn’t want to be gone for a long period of time… just in case. But when I told my my dad I was going to call off my trip, he looked at me like I had grown two heads. Cancelling was simply not an option in his book.

“You have to tell me all about Hobbiton,” he said, “I can’t wait to finally experience it through you.” And so under his direction, I kept to my planning, even welcoming it as a distraction from all the hospital visits, the phone calls and the frequent care updates. And often I’d share my trip plans with him.

Until one month later, when my dad passed away.

True to his wishes, I did press on to New Zealand. But it wasn’t until I was looking out over a rugged alpine lake glimmering under a setting Kiwi sun that I fully understood the weight of what he said: Experience it through you.

As earnest as it sounds, time stood still while I processed his words and allowed for a long-awaited realization to kick in: my dad did get to experience New Zealand through me, in sharing my anticipation, excitement, and plans. And now that I was finally seeing the on-screen magic I had long dreamt of in-person as well, I wanted to make every second count. Not just for my dad, but for me. I was finally there. The fantasy had not only become my adventure, the place became everything I’d imagined.