Adventure: In the eye of the beholder?

 

When we were on vacation in Maui last month, I had the opportunity to go zip-lining. Several friends had been and talked about how fun it was, so I agreed to go.

I was terrified the whole time.

But I did it. I didn’t cry, scream, or beg for my mommy although all of those crossed my mind while I was flying through the air attached to a singing cable.

I might do it again. But I’d like to do one a little less ambitious to get my confidence back.

A couple weeks later my husband and I and friends were discussing what adventure we wanted to book next. We all wanted to kayak down a Kauai river and were searching for the best excursion. Stud Muffin pointed at me and said, “You’re the adventurer so choose the one you want to go on.”

EEEERRRRTTTT!!! Stop the zip line and back it up.

I’m the adventurous one??

I don’t think so.

On the other hand, I also don’t like to sit on the sidelines and hear about others’ adventures. That’s why I’ve done some scary things, like riding a bike down a volcano, taking BART into San Francisco when I didn’t know where I was going, and baking bread from scratch.

One of my daughters once told me that she likes that I’m up for anything, I’ll give it my best shot. That’s true. But it’s because I’m afraid of being left out! Not because I’m bold.

I’m not brave or daring or a thrill seeker. I have no desire to parachute from a plane or bungee jump. Knitting with four double tip needles is as daring as I’m comfortable being.

But isn’t that the point of an adventure? To get out of your comfort zone. To challenge yourself. To be able to point back and say, “Yeah, I did that.”

So if anyone wants to think of me as adventurous, that’s okay with me.

Look at the picture above of the person hanging by a thread over the trees. Yeah. I did that.

I guess I am a little bit adventurous after all.