Never been the same.

March 17, 2017

A D V E N T U R E //

Adventure is something that changes you. There's something about it. Adventure liberates the spirit and allows you to be the truest self you can be. I want to tell you about a time that I experienced that type of liberating adventure.

When I was around ten years old, I was in my basement with a friend when my parents called my name. With a strong and concerning tone, my parents asked if I could join them upstairs. My stomach dropped. That was never a good sign, especially with a friend over. I was beyond nervous. I cowardly walked up the stairs, trying to hide - afraid of what I might hear next. The only thoughts in my head were things I might have done wrong. As I approached the top of the stairs, I realized this was not about me - it was a family meeting! That made me feel even worse. My mind was racing as I thought, "What could be serious enough for them to talk to us about this right now? What happened?".

My dad sat across from me with the most serious face,

"We're losing our home"... he said.

The next thing he did was laugh at the haunted look that took over the faces of my brother and I. As I exchanged a confused look with my brother, my dad clarified that he was only joking and that instead, we were going on a vacation. The mixture of excitement and lingering shock created a strange feeling inside of me.

When the trip came, I wasn't sure what to expect. All I knew was that it was a long drive and we were going somewhere dusty. In truth, I knew exactly where we were going, I just pretended not to care because it sounded boring. We traveled to South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota. It was there in the middle of the desert that I discovered how dry my life was (ironic, I know). I began running around, hiking up dirt mounds, climbing rocks, hunting for rattle snacks, mining for gold, and that was when I realized that my life was void of adventure. Getting away from home was so freeing.

Finding a place I was not familiar with at all allowed my curiosity to freely flow. I had seemingly endless open space to explore! That trip opened my eyes to the freedom that exploring can bring to someone's mind and heart. I felt so happy and I had no worries about trying to fit in anywhere, I was just able to be completely who I found myself to naturally be. It was one of the first most freeing experiences I have had. Since then, I have never stopped craving adventure.

Since then, I've never been the same.