Spirit of Adventure: The High Drama of Self-Discovery

By Frosty Wooldridge

When coyotes howl outside your tent, that may
be adventure. While you trudge through
the wilderness with a 40-pound pack, that
could be deemed “adventure.” While
sweating like a horse as you pedal over a
12,000-foot pass, you might be living an
adventure.

While you thrust your brush onto the
canvas, you come face to face with artistic
expression. Perhaps a certain knot in a
macramé project renders a new kind of
adventure in your life.

When howling gale winds press your lips
against your teeth while sailing into a
raging storm, you face a mighty
adventure. You may stand on the edge of
a mountain with sub-zero temperatures
before plunging into a deep powder chute.
That could be called “adventure.”

A new step on the dance floor may find
you struggling with the beat of the music.
It could be defined as imaginative
adventure.

But that’s not what makes an adventure!
You might ask, “Why not…what more do I
have to do to create adventure in my
life?”

Adventure begins where you define it. It
rolls into “being” by your actions toward
your passions. When you learn how to
think “adventure” in whatever passion you
pursue, you learn how to live adventure.

It is your willingness to struggle through
it, to present yourself at the doorstep of
Nature or in front of a canvas or mountain
peak. You might be a writer struggling
with a plot or character. Adventure
advances as you express it.

Can you think of any greater joy coming
from life than living inside the “moment”
of an adventure? It may be a fleeting
“high”, a stranger that changes your life,
an animal that delights you or even
frightens you, a struggle where you
triumphed, or even failed, yet you braved
the challenge. Those moments present
you uncommon experiences that give your
life eternal expectation.

That’s adventure.

So where in your life do you find the
calling of adventure that excites your
soul? What “turns on” every cell in your
body? What causes you to smile through
your day? How do you get “there”?

It’s known as the “perfect speed.” It’s a
thought pattern whereby you already
know you reached your destination or
dream or goal. Everything you think
must be twice created: first, the idea,
which secondly moves into form.
For an example: you desire to climb a
mountain, paint a picture or learn a new
dance.

You must take baby steps by hanging with
those who love mountain climbing. Learn
from them. Start small and grow wise,
grow smart and grow strong.

You love art? Hang around artists.
Engage a canvas, paper or clay. Discover
your passion in the arts. Grow with
someone who paints, sculpts or draws.
Spend hours on your own works.

You want to become a dancer? Hit the
closest studio. Take the classes. Learn
the basics. Find your music style. Soon,
you glide around the dance floor to the
eternal joy of music and movement.

In the beginning, middle or advanced
portion of your life, you remain the author
and visionary of your success, your joy
and your happiness.

I’m reminded of three home plate umpires
who bragged how they called balls and
strikes:

The first said, “I calls them as I sees
them.”
The second said, “I calls them as they
are.”
The third said, “They ain’t nothin’ till I
calls them.”

Remember that the only way you “gallop”
into your dreams remains your call!
Charge onto the playing field with
creativity, energy and courage. The
rewards magnify life to your highest and
best.
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