Life is an Adventure

By Wendy Lee

September 22, 2018

“The tours are over for the day, but I can take you around if you like.”  With that, my delightful outing, a mini-adventure, began.

I arrived at the Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta only shortly after the last tour ended.  I missed my opportunity.  Well before dependency on the internet for information, I was flying blind and had little information to go on to explore the cemetery.  I readily took the security guard up on his offer.

He was very old, a relic himself.   He was leathered, walked slowly, and was a bit frail in his appearance but not in his spirit.  He asked me to take his arm as he walked me through the cemetery, pointing out the famous graves.  At times he let me wander a bit so that I could take pictures and admire the stunning mausoleums.  When he was ready to move on, he took a few steps forward and cleared his throat.  It was my cue.  I would rejoin him, take a hold of his arm, and then move on to the next section.

The experience was unexpected.  He was positively charming, and I sensed that he enjoyed his own gallantry.  There were others milling about in the cemetery.  He ignored them and gave me his full attention.

These are the best types of adventures.

It happened again a few years later.  Arriving too early to visit my friends in New Jersey, I stopped in at the Edison Museum to kill some time.  I was the only visitor to the tiny museum, having arrived mid-morning during the week.  The gentleman who worked there seemed happy to have a customer, so abandoned his post to give me a personal tour of the museum.  When we stopped in front of one of the display cases of some early Edison phonograph cylinders, he asked if I wanted to hear one of them.

“Yes.”

He stepped away to retrieve his keys.  When he returned, he unlocked the cabinet, retrieved a delicate cylinder, added it so a nearby phonograph, and played the music for me.  I couldn’t resist asking, “Are we supposed to be listening to this, it seems like we could damage it”?  He gave me a funny look, shook his head, and let the music continue.

I can provide dozens of examples of accidentally walked into these experiences.  The only things it required on my part were curiosity, interest, enthusiasm, and a healthy dose of kindness.  When they occur, I am in awe.

There are few things in life more enriching for the soul than going on an adventure.  An adventure takes you out of your daily routine and struggles, and launches you into other worlds.  You can discover history, connect with nature, admire art, and meet fascinating people who live lives very different than your own.  It provides perspective, helps you better understand humanity, and instills some freshness in your life.

I am not naturally adventurous, at least in my own mind.  I can be cautious and reserved.  There are times, however, when adventure is imperative.  In truth, my adventures are usually relatively safe.  Adventures don’t require world travel.  It is my attitude toward them that make them adventures.

I have previously written about the challenges of living with depression and an anxiety disorder.  When I am in that space, and feel the world pressing in on me, one of the few dozen things I can do to bring me back to life is to take an adventure or mini-adventure, whether it is a roadtrip to a National Park, or driving around town to visit historic signs and buildings, it is an adventure in my head.

Most recently, my adventures have been to Death Valley, Bryce Canyon, Kodachrome State Park, a northeast trip that included a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame and ended in Bar Harbor, a trip to Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Zion National Park, Cuyahoga National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Hollyhock House, the Peterson Museum, Taliesin West, Baseball Spring Training, touring Fenway and Coors Field, visiting Historic sites in Denver and Colorado Springs, Oatman, AZ, two baseball roadtrips, Prescott, AZ, London and Bath, U.K., and probably a dozen other places I am missing.

Each of these adventures brought new perspective, and helped any troubles I have just float out of my head, especially on long drives.

I will write later about my northeast adventure, my Bryce Canyon trip, and my recent trip to Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef National Parks.  I have already written about Death Valley, my first baseball roadtrip, my Arizona trip to Spring Training, and my trip to Bath, U.K..  What you will find is how an attitude toward adventure, curiosity, and discovery can bring delicious surprises.

Each of us has to find our own path to feeling alive and overcoming our personal challenges.  If you are able, though, I suggest an adventure to delight your soul.

For Further Reading:

Baseball – My Personal Searchlight:  https://personalsearchlight.com/2014/07/07/baseball-my-personal-searchlight/

Escape:  https://personalsearchlight.com/2017/05/08/escape/

The Door:  https://personalsearchlight.com/2016/10/02/the-door/

Perspective in Death Valley:  https://personalsearchlight.com/2015/01/25/perspective-in-death-valley/