“He who is outside his door has the hardest part of his journey behind him.” Dutch Proverb
So, ten minutes of rain ~ what’s up with that?! I felt cheated this week because we had some lovely rain, which was cool and refreshing, and then it was back to unpredictable SoCal warm weather. Sometimes living here feels like whiplash. But seriously, folks, (lol) we’re blessed to have a taste of almost every type of weather here and not the harsh extremes some have to tolerate. Living in SoCal is definitely an adventure in many ways.
I had the chance to travel with my girls over the weekend to attend a baby shower for my niece. We enjoyed such a fun road trip, reminiscing about times we traveled together when they were younger, that it made me wonder why we don’t do it more often. I know, they’re grown and have their own paths to explore, and we’re all so busy working and designing lives for ourselves, but we need to make more time for getaways, even if it’s just local. And that’s not only for our family, but for you, as well. We all need a grand adventure now and then.
It falls into the categories of self-care and development when you think about it. Self-care because the goal is to step away from the daily grind and dedicate time to winding down and clearing our minds of all the clutter. Development, because some of our more innovative ideas come from thinking outside the proverbial box, and that has a good chance of happening when we’re not trying to squeeze out yet another amazing concept from a weary mind. Often, we need an adventure of some sort.
The following thoughts relating to adventure caught my attention:
Wow, there’s so much truth in this statement. How often do we deny ourselves time off to experience something new in life? It’s tough to take that first step and just get outside the door! I think sometimes we get frightened of the unknown, but more often, I believe we simply don’t want to take the time or put in the effort. It’s inconvenient. It’s bad timing. There’s too much going on. If we take PTO now, we might be in trouble if we need it later. So many excuses. So much wasted time. And the truth is, we’d probably be more productive, creative, patient, and so on, if we took a break.
And here’s the best part: a grand adventure doesn’t have to cost a boatload of money or take a lot of time or resources. It can be as simple as a drive to Arizona to attend a baby shower.
Here are a couple of thoughts that also made an impact on me:
“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste the experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.” Eleanor Roosevelt
“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” Anonymous
And some encouragement from Scripture:
“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:11 (ESV)
“With the tall cloud, you led them by day, and at night you used the column of fire. That is the way you lit their path and showed them where to go.” Nehemiah 9:12 (ERV)
How much more of life might we experience if we could get ourselves out of the door now and then, I wonder? Would we be more rested and easier to get along with? Maybe we wouldn’t isolate as much and even make good use of solitude, which is different from isolation. And perhaps we might reopen some creative doors we’d long ago abandoned or discover a fresh path leading us down a new road on which to travel. The possibilities are endless. We only need to set out on a potential adventure to enjoy the benefits.
The challenge this week, then, is to consider adding an adventure to our calendars. We can start small and work our way up to a grand adventure. Maybe plan a quiet getaway before or during the holidays to someplace we’ve never been or at the very least haven’t visited in a while. Perhaps there’s a friend or loved one who could also use a break.
Wouldn’t it be fun to experience a fall festival or a Christmas event of some sort? It might even be at a local church or community center. The point is to step a bit outside our comfort zones ~ outside our front doors to experience something different or interesting. Please don’t wait; decide to begin right away. Your grand adventure is waiting for you!
Be Well & Be Blessed!
Lucinda
