This Life: A Wonderful Adventure

This Life: A Wonderful Adventure

I want to constantly live in that reality: this life, a wonderful adventure.  

I want to believe it, not get pulled under by the hard stuff that leaves us complaining and moaning, unable to see all the good.  I want to feel it, really feel it when I get out of bed I'm excited for what is coming, not preparing to plod my feet along, trudging through the daily to-do list with only one mantra: just keep moving.  I want to get out of bed excited for the known and unknown; for what amazing things I might find in my next diaper change; for the new hiding place for that favorite toy that I would have never considered as I don't stand two feet tall; for that work email that just seems amazing, in the bad sort of way, as you swear you have covered this issue with this person no less then four times.  These are coated with frustrations, irritations but they contain wonder too.  It is a wonder my son digested something that comes out like that . . .  It is a wonder my 500 foot square house has places I can't see by standing in the middle and looking in a full circle . . . And its a wonder that email writing professionals doesn't always think the same way I do.  What must they think like? - Wonder, curiosity, opportunity for discovery and understanding: Adventure!

But mostly, I want to LIVE IT!  But not just by circumnavigating the world in 8 month with nothing but a backpack and my best friend or yearly exploring a new destination or dreaming up some abnormal, out-of-the-box endeavors that people are in awe of when you tell the story.

I want to live it when it doesn't look like adventure, when it just looks like the regular must and must nots, dos and do nots of life.

It has been over six years since Lyle and I completed our trip around the world and almost four since we last blogged about our unique adventures.  Since then we produced a little Lydi that is a wonderful combination of his parents but looks mostly like his mom and are expecting another little combination of us that we just can't seem to find a name for (any girl name ideas out there?).  We started building a home.  The 500 square foot, one room cabin won't fit us for ever.  And we took on the family business: an Alaska bush plane air taxi (yes, some parts are like all the reality shows but most are not).  Our life filled with a typical definition of adventure has seemed to slip away, replaced by adult responsibilities, financial stresses, and never enough family time.
One of our friends called this state of adult life "serious, furious" because everything is taken so seriously because, well building a home or paying a mortgage, saving for kid's college and retirement, keeping the car running so everyone gets to their daily activities, and, in our case making sure the family company is doing well enough to pay its bills and the people working for you, trusting you with their livelihood, is serious and since there is never enough time you have to be furiously speedy about it all.

As this change has taken place I have lamented the loss of free-spirited adventuring but now, years into this "real life" I am finding something welling up inside me, something strong, determined, and struggling to fight, to fight for Adventure, an epic journey, a unique quest for my life and the life of my family.  I strongly believe the house, the kids, the job, the business are gifts, blessings, part of the epic, meaningful journey I have been called to.
Unfortunately, when the daily drudgery starts to suck me down, like quick sand pulling in its victim, I begin to think of these blessings as burdens, weights to be lightened or escaped but this dishonors the Giver of these gifts and blinds me to the value, the wealth of these gifts and to the wonder of simply living this blessed life.  The drudgery blinds me to the every day ADVENTURE of life.  That something welling up in me want to fight against this!  I will fight against this!  And daily look for adventure amidst the normality