I recently discovered this quote featured on a scrapbook page. It struck me as the thread that pulls together my life. The full quote is from Helen Keller and says,
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure."
Isn't that brilliant and true? Today I pulled out some pictures of our trip to Egypt and starting creating a scrapbook album. I realized that I was starting to sound redundant describing some trips I've taken in the last 10 years as "the trip of a lifetime". And yet so many of my trips have felt that way. When I visit a place I try to experience it as if I will never travel there again. Even if I have been there several times, I still approach it that way. It is such a satisfying way to explore and travel--adding a piquancy and urgency to the experience.
I don't want to go someplace and feel regret for what I couldn't or didn't see. I want to feel content and full with what I have done. I think I've succeeded.
(My kids have a sense of humor when they take pictures, like this one at Karnak Temple in Luxor.)
How do you live life with a daring sense of adventure? I think you need to approach life with a relentless and insatiable curiosity. You must have an openness to ask questions and a willingness to experience new things. I personally feel completely invigorated and renewed.
Must you reserve this adventure for foreign climes? Hardly. I was recently in Kentucky attending my sister's wedding. We were in a part of Kentucky I knew little about and I discovered there was so much to do. I'm sad I couldn't explore more because of the wedding, but it is now on my list of places to explore. Yes, I put a small town in Kentucky on my list of destinations. That's the beauty of our world--we have such diversity and history that there are very few places that don't warrant a little time spent exploring and reflecting on what they have to offer.
How do you approach life with a daring sense of adventure? If you don't feel that sense of adventure, what holds you back? Tell me about a dream destination and why it is a place you want to visit.
My big hangup is dragging the kids along --- but obviously you've done it! You are brave! I guess I'm not that brave. In fact, tonight I was just planning a camping trip with my brother and his family. We think we'll leave our baby with my parents and his baby with his wife's parents. That way we can all enjoy it without our little whiney-pants babies.
ReplyDelete