The Curious Life of Adventure

"She could be herself, by herself. And that was what now she often felt the need of - to think; well not even to think. To be silent; to be alone. All the being and the doing, expansive, glittering, vocal, evaporated; and one shrunk, with a sense of solemnity, to being oneself, a wedge-shaped core of darkness, something invisible to others... and this self having shed its attachments was free for the strangest adventures.”

― Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse

Every good adventure leads three separate lives. First, there is the beginning, the seed. Some, have roots that tangle deep and far into your being while others, sprout suddenly, feeding on bursts of curiosity. Adventure’s seed dwells in the grand plans we create before we are taught to seek security and status. In their resilience these saplings press onwards through concrete jungle but even the most cunning of wildflowers will wither if neglected. If you were to seek out these floral shop dropouts you can find their remains between the pages of novels that rest on shelves lined with the dust of “someday.” Their painted corpses, pressed thin and brittle, act as reminders of youth to those whose spirits have slipped into the monotony of routine. Adventure’s seed is imagination’s darling and the notion that if you are to leave your front step, another way is indeed possible.

Now, Adventure’s second life is an unruly thing filled with danger and sunshine. This middle child is the present unfolding before us while booming towards “what next?” in an avalanche of bruised knees, bus stops, markets, strangers and starlight. Living in the eye of Adventure’s storm is unpredictable and a test of your ability to chip away at the high walls of this world. At the very heart of “now” is the ecstasy of living your wildest fantasies and realizing that lonely lurks in the most unexpected of places. Adventure’s present will nourish the roots of your bravery and build upon your understanding. It is sleeping on dirt floors, it is hunger. An Adventure unfolding is to step away from the solace of safety and come upon the realization that in this world, there have always been many different truths for one question.

Lastly, there is Adventure’s end. After the whirlwind of alleyways and moonlight the wisdom of what you have seen may finally nestle into its place within your life. Here, time works slowly. As you travel further and farther memory will use her cunning to chip away at hard facts and give way to meaning. As an adventure comes to a close, it becomes many different things. You will begin to see yourself in others and others, in you. You will learn patience and as you listen, there will come the acknowledgment that in your wanderings you have many times, been foolish. Intertwined in your failings and triumphs will come the knowledge that escape has never been the only route to discovery. Through your absence friends and those dear to you will have filled the void of your departure and grown in their individual ways. Slowly, you will have to relearn love. As the chaos recedes into the review mirror of your life, it’s pieces blend together and take the shape of what they have always been, a whole. In bloom Adventure will unfold her petals and along the breeze that carries her pollen throughout the valley of your reach you will, finally, remember what you have always known yet taken miles and miles to see.