I have always had a complicated relationship with adventure. Growing up, my parents always encouraged me to try new things, but only certain types of new things, most of which could be categorized as safe. I tried all kinds of different food from a young age, which may be a byproduct of being born in New York. I listened to many types of music, read all kinds of books, and enjoyed trying new academic activities. My family moved a lot, and making a home somewhere new is certainly a kind of adventure. I grew accustomed to meeting new people and adapting to new environments quickly. The flipside was that my parents (especially my mom) were what you might call risk-averse, and so I, too, avoided anything unfamiliar that could seem dangerous.
We did not do animals, sports, or the great outdoors. We avoided things that could hurt us, and things behaved unpredictably. Furthermore, we were largely people of routine. As I got older, I made these traits I had inherited my own, and as I got older still (and a little wiser), I started to challenge and rethink my relationship with them.
An unplanned encounter with a then-stranger and a now dear friend was the catalyst for my “year of yes”. She invited me on a road trip to Pinecove for a weekend of serving with a group of young adults that I didn’t know at all. And for reasons I still ponder today, I said yes. Providence put me in the right place at the right time, so that I crossed paths with people and opportunities that challenged me to take healthy and rewarding risks that I could never have foreseen for myself. Since then, some of my favorite (or most meaningful) adventures have included horseback riding in Texas and Oklahoma, white water rafting in Tennessee, camping and hiking up a small mountain in New Mexico, and exploring some beautiful small towns in Colorado. Each of these experiences scared me a bit before trying them, and even while trying them, but they were also wildly exciting and stretched me in the best way. I love the feeling that follows - I can practically feel myself glowing with confidence after proving to myself what I am capable of, and it feels so good.
Adventure includes the “small stuff” too. It’s really about trying something new that makes a personal impact of some kind - growth, memories, confidence, joy. In a TED talk that helped me to better understand the impact of trying new things regularly, journalist, author, and cancer survivor, Lu Ann Cahn, shared about her “year of firsts” and how doing one new thing every day altered her life. Cahn encourages others to “do the new”. I loved her insight on how the scale of a new experience does not measure its value, or as she puts it, “do the new doesn’t mean do the exotic”. New experiences in familiar surroundings or brief moments have also resulted in growth and delight, like solving my first escape room, trying new arts and crafts, going to a book club for the first time, or getting a tattoo. I’m also still a huge fan of trying new foods, though I must admit, the older I get, the harder it has become to try new foods that scare me - I still can’t get past calamari with legs - rings only, please and thank you.
I want to continue living a life full of big and small adventures. I want to learn as much as I can from every experience and continue to stretch myself into a person capable of more than I dreamed. And because I am a writer, I want to write about it too. Living is writer’s fuel, and adventures are the highest quality fuel. I’m open to suggestions, and I have a few ideas on my bucket list too. As personal as my adventures may be, they are largely made possible by and exist within the context of community. So many of my adventures were born out of “yeses” to unlikely invitations. If you feel so inclined, I welcome your support and your invitations, too.