But for many of us, adulthood, particularly parenthood, halts the spirit of adventure. Our culture, our budget and our narrow vision of acceptable build a dam before the river of wonder inside of us. Our children say, \u201cLook Mom! Look at that spider, that spinning top, that little lake. Did you hear about the mushroom house in the forest?\u201d<\/p>\n
But many of us don\u2019t find time to look, to listen. We watch our cell phones, our schedules, our predictable paths to get from here to there. We track \u201clikes,\u201d grade point averages, salaries. We study lists. We avoid new activities, new friendships. We don\u2019t learn about that family, that faith, that nationality different from ours. We don\u2019t visit the neighborhood, the town, the nation unfamiliar. If we\u2019re not careful, we stop asking, listening, wondering, reaching. We stop living.<\/p>\n
But as long as we\u2019re breathing, it seems to me that we can become adventurers \u2013 anytime, anywhere. The following are a handful of ideas to inspire the adventuring spirit in you:<\/p>\n
Stop rushing.<\/strong> Take a walk, drink a cup of tea, pray. Sit at the kitchen table, alone, and listen. Hear the birds, the breeze, the questions, the desires in your own mind. Write poetry. Stretch. Swim in the lake all alone.<\/p>\n Head down a new path<\/strong>. Walk to school instead of drive. Go a different way. Meet a new mom, a neighbor you haven\u2019t acknowledged. Volunteer to do a job you\u2019ve never done, to help a person you otherwise wouldn\u2019t meet. Explore a new career. Listen to your children, spouse and friends with fresh ears.<\/p>\n Make-believe.<\/strong> I love to write fiction. In my imaginary world, I get to transform into\u00a0any body, any place I choose. I get to do, be, see whatever I want. This sense of wonder eventually translates to real life. It empowers me. What sparks your imagination? How can you picture yourself in a different situation? Where can you imagine going? What would it look or feel like?<\/em><\/p>\n Fear not. <\/strong>Have you ever noticed how most toddlers are unafraid? So onward they explore. What are you afraid of? <\/em>Fear keeps us from skiing for the first time, climbing the mountain, traveling abroad, watching a sunset. Fear prevents us from letting out the adventurer inside.<\/p>\n Have faith.<\/strong> The absence of fear is faith, I think. Believe that you are loved. Know that you\u2019re not alone, even when you take risks. You\u2019re meant to fall, to change courses, to get stuff wrong sometimes. This falling and rising and falling again \u2013 this is the gorgeous stuff of an epic adventure. It is your one and only time to be a mom, to live this moment, hour, this year. This is your incredible adventure \u2013 it is your life.<\/p>\n
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