Why You Must Try to Find Adventure Everywhere, and in Everything

For a transitory enchanted moment, man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something to commensurate his capacity for wonder.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

If there is one thing anyone should know about me, it’s that I am a creature of habit. Since I’m always held captive by structure, to-do lists, and agendas, I’m giving myself permission to break the rules in my day to day. Simply because I’m currently exhausted from the mundane routine I established in order to grasp the very essence of control itself. 

A lot of work does go into feeling put together. Who would have thought?  

Holistically, there is something to be said about choosing to live every day slightly differently. It’s a way to take an internal vacation - away from scenes in my life that almost mirror Groundhog Day. 

I’m not sure when the realization hit me, but somehow before June arrived, I was starved for something different outside of the agenda I planned ahead of time. 

I wanted adventure. 

I started thinking more about adventures as a whole soon after. What happened to them, what does it mean for me today, and how can I become someone that not only has adventures but also someone that exemplifies them?

Adventures are made to feel like these “larger than life” moments, often reflected by traveling. We see and hear the entire genre of adventure through cinema, storytelling and music. It generally signifies a thrilling saga which includes harsh obstacles, various destinations, powers to unfold, and foes to defeat. 

But in my day to day framing, adventures do not have to be glamorized into a three-part blockbuster series or feel like some capricious trip to Monaco for the weekend. After stripping back layers of the genre, I found that all adventures are simply journeys into the unknown. 

And for people like me, who feverishly grip to all areas of certainty in order to gain a sense of control of the unknown - that journey can feel like a form of subconscious suicide. But we must be brave in order to escape from all that is familiar and comfortable, right?  

With these musings, I’ve come up with a list of scenarios where adventures can be found in small, attainable ways.

• Spending an hour outside to soak in the sun

  •  I walk around the city without a destination in mind and stop at places I’ve been eyeing at for a while - a clothing store or a bookstore

• Baking a cake (or anything) for the first time 

  • I find comfort in the challenge of creating something that might or might not taste good 

• Dancing at the same bar every other weekend 

  • Except this time, I change my style completely, wear my hair curly, I’m with different people, or I order something new to drink

• Meeting co-workers at happy hour for the first time 

  • Instead of dreading the what-ifs of such a social interaction, I keep an open mind and see if there’s something good can come out of it - a story or a memory

• Moving out (in any capacity)

  • I introduce myself to my neighbors, roam the neighborhood, and find a local activity that makes me feel like myself

So, I encourage us to look for adventure in everything, even in the little things, because it means we are led by curiosity, not fear. Though this was an effortless task as children - to fear less and be amused by anything, we adults have more power than we think. 

On some occasions, we should ditch our apprehension and rationale and enjoy moments of boundless wonder. On other occasions, our sensibility is what we carry with us to make choices only we know will be rewarding. It’s our armor and our shield, but there are days when they need to come off in order to bring our skin to the light, body bare to the world, ready for all that may blight us or love us - so long as there is a softness, an ease in which we face our choices. 

Living in any kind of balance is never a seamless process, but it is worth every struggle to preserve our childlike innocence and curiosity. For in adventure there is wonder, and in wonder there is joy.

Preserving our capacity for wonder even after most events in life become desensitized, predictable or compartmentalized, is the most important thing we can do to protect the purest forms of joy in ourselves.

---

Featured Image: Fiona Dinkelbach