Have you ever considered the role adventure plays in your life? When you look at your life, where do you find adventure? Is it in your small business, where you have invested all of your life savings for the chance to build something of value for society and your family? Is it in travel, where discovery envelopes you on all fronts? Is it in the garden, workshop, or kitchen, where you, as creator, take satisfaction from seeing new things come to life? Or has it simply been misplaced–or is missing altogether? Where is the adventure in your life?
Indeed, adventure comes in all shapes and sizes. Debbie is the thrill seeker in this household. She loves the adrenaline rush that accompanies playing “on the edge.” I’m a bit mellower, although I do enjoy exploring new places and learning new things. We have had some great adventures in our lives since marrying in 2010, including a bicycle tour across America right after our wedding, a trip to Nashville to help a nonprofit the following summer, and a hot bicycle ride up the Atlantic Coast this summer. Our recent foray into publishing, with Two Are Better, also qualifies. To top it all off, embarking on a first-time marriage at ages 52 delved us into the unknown. With marriage, we’ve discovered that what hides deep within drops by unexpectedly for a visit. When we come face to face with ourselves, we may discover some traits and attitudes that we need to change. Adventure has a way of exposing what we’re made of.
What is adventure? Dictionary.com lists several meanings. Here’s one: an exciting or very unusual experience. Adventure, at its core, is characterized by tasting what is fresh and learning something new. One person’s adventure may be another person’s routine, and vice versa. It usually comes with risk, fear, and uncertainty. And it may be elusive. But it is always worth pursuing, for it is an essential ingredient to living the abundant life. Without it, we have surrendered…we have stopped living.
Take a test drive out of the rut of life. Travel to a place you’ve never been to before. Start a new business. Take up a new hobby. Do something you’ve never dared to try before, even though everyone else seems to live through it. Or simply read that book you set on the shelf months ago. You might even find a little adventure in talking to that new neighbor across the street. Try one of these things and see if your life doesn’t become a bit more interesting. You’ll learn something new about yourself or your surroundings. And you may just feel a bit more satisfied with life. All of us need adventure in our lives.
Yesterday’s adventure may have become today’s routine, so mix it up. Take a fresh look at where you have arrived. It might not be that easy because you may not like what you see. But do it anyway. You’ve been given a gift–the gift of life, so cherish it. And be a good steward of it. That gift will not last forever.