My New Adventure
The past few months have been a re-awakening of sorts. Radical changes in my life such as, a job loss, a child leaving home for college, and a surgery, seem to have interrupted my normal, average, lifestyle. For many, this would be cause for alarm, I suppose. But for me, however, I find myself revitalized and longing for adventure with the rising of each new day. I've often heard the old saying that life has a way of making you who you are. I guess that could be true. Yet, I also think that if one chooses to believe that, he or she would just be a follower of all the good and bad that life has to offer, never venturing off to create scenarios that offer something better. Those kind of people are defined by their life situations, often bitter and uncaring, mad at the world. Perhaps this is who I was turning into...until recently.
I acknowledge that I had no control over being laid off from a company that was re-structuring, just as I had no control over all of the others who lost their jobs. I also know that I have no control over my children growing up and venturing out on their own, carving their own slice of life. In the latter, however, I can choose to have an impact, though. As far as the surgery that I had, it was an umbilical hernia that was repaired and I don't know for sure if I could have prevented that. It's a non-issue now, and how I choose to live my life from here forward is what is important.
The longing for new adventures was inspired by a new hobby my family and I discovered: Geocaching. In case you're not familiar with what Geocaching is, let me give a brief description. Geocaching is like a modern day, "high tech" treasure hunt. Given a set of coordinates, one is expected to locate a hidden container. The contents of the container, as well as the size, often varies. All containers, however, contain a log book for the finder to sign acknowledging his or her discovery. Many containers also have small, inexpensive trinkets for trade. The rule is that if you take something, replace it with something of equal or greater value. There is a website dedicated to this hobby: Geocaching.com.
Our venture into geocaching is instrumental into my foray of the great outdoors. During many of our geocache hunts, we found ourselves hiking through the beautiful forests of our great state parks. This immediately led to a perceived need for a backpack. Beyond that, I formulated in my mind that I needed new shoes designed for hiking, a walking stick, a digital camera, and yes...bug spray. With all of this in mind, I slowly started to realize that for me it was much more than just hunting a hidden cache, it started to be much more about spending time outdoors with the ones I love. Yes. It started to be much more.
My goals in life have slowly evolved into what they are now. I don't want my experiences to be ordinary anymore...no more average. I now see life in a different way, exciting and exhilarating! This is how I choose to live from now on. I want to be adventurous, spontaneous, and challenged. I want to see and experience the good things of God's creation; the things that I have taken for granted for so long; things like spiders, mushrooms, wild flowers, tall trees, clouds, sunrises, sunsets, and wild life. None of this can be experienced indoors. The warmth of an afternoon sun needs to be felt. The coolness of a crisp, Fall morning air needs to be breathed. And the thrill of seeing a white-tailed deer while on a hike through a state park needs to be experienced! These things attract me now.
Moving forward in my new found lifestyle, I have surmised that there are a few things that I'd like to improve upon. First, I plan to use my time outdoors, particularly day-hiking, as a way to get myself back to a healthy weight. Currently, I'm a bit overweight and I'd like to lose many of those excess pounds. Secondly, I'd like to become a better writer. This blog will be my tool and will allow me to share all of our experiences with those of like mind. Third, I'd like to become a better photographer. I've already started reading articles that apply to this. Furthermore, I've even been practicing around the house (see previous blog post). Lastly, I hope that my new found sense of adventure will allow me to be a more involved dad, a more caring husband, and a much more interesting person. When it's all over, however, and the final chapter is written on my life, it is my desire that those who knew me would say, "he lived this life the way it should be lived, with no regrets, and he has now passed on to an even far greater adventure...far greater!"
I acknowledge that I had no control over being laid off from a company that was re-structuring, just as I had no control over all of the others who lost their jobs. I also know that I have no control over my children growing up and venturing out on their own, carving their own slice of life. In the latter, however, I can choose to have an impact, though. As far as the surgery that I had, it was an umbilical hernia that was repaired and I don't know for sure if I could have prevented that. It's a non-issue now, and how I choose to live my life from here forward is what is important.
The longing for new adventures was inspired by a new hobby my family and I discovered: Geocaching. In case you're not familiar with what Geocaching is, let me give a brief description. Geocaching is like a modern day, "high tech" treasure hunt. Given a set of coordinates, one is expected to locate a hidden container. The contents of the container, as well as the size, often varies. All containers, however, contain a log book for the finder to sign acknowledging his or her discovery. Many containers also have small, inexpensive trinkets for trade. The rule is that if you take something, replace it with something of equal or greater value. There is a website dedicated to this hobby: Geocaching.com.
Our venture into geocaching is instrumental into my foray of the great outdoors. During many of our geocache hunts, we found ourselves hiking through the beautiful forests of our great state parks. This immediately led to a perceived need for a backpack. Beyond that, I formulated in my mind that I needed new shoes designed for hiking, a walking stick, a digital camera, and yes...bug spray. With all of this in mind, I slowly started to realize that for me it was much more than just hunting a hidden cache, it started to be much more about spending time outdoors with the ones I love. Yes. It started to be much more.
My goals in life have slowly evolved into what they are now. I don't want my experiences to be ordinary anymore...no more average. I now see life in a different way, exciting and exhilarating! This is how I choose to live from now on. I want to be adventurous, spontaneous, and challenged. I want to see and experience the good things of God's creation; the things that I have taken for granted for so long; things like spiders, mushrooms, wild flowers, tall trees, clouds, sunrises, sunsets, and wild life. None of this can be experienced indoors. The warmth of an afternoon sun needs to be felt. The coolness of a crisp, Fall morning air needs to be breathed. And the thrill of seeing a white-tailed deer while on a hike through a state park needs to be experienced! These things attract me now.
Moving forward in my new found lifestyle, I have surmised that there are a few things that I'd like to improve upon. First, I plan to use my time outdoors, particularly day-hiking, as a way to get myself back to a healthy weight. Currently, I'm a bit overweight and I'd like to lose many of those excess pounds. Secondly, I'd like to become a better writer. This blog will be my tool and will allow me to share all of our experiences with those of like mind. Third, I'd like to become a better photographer. I've already started reading articles that apply to this. Furthermore, I've even been practicing around the house (see previous blog post). Lastly, I hope that my new found sense of adventure will allow me to be a more involved dad, a more caring husband, and a much more interesting person. When it's all over, however, and the final chapter is written on my life, it is my desire that those who knew me would say, "he lived this life the way it should be lived, with no regrets, and he has now passed on to an even far greater adventure...far greater!"
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