“Adventure is not outside man; it is within.”
George Eliot
Two nights ago, my friend Jennie and I went out to “Chase the sunset.” It is one of my favored activities and quite simple. Go outdoors about an hour before the sunsets and then, simply be there for the moments before during and after daylight’s final descent. One of my friends is very serious about his photography taught me sunrise and sunset are the best natural light of the day. I have learned he was oh – so – right.
That is why I also bring my camera to capture images when I chase sunset. It is my partner in this exercise, always.
Two nights ago before we went out on our adventure, the desk held me captive for longer than I may have wanted. As we left, I said, “We don’t have much sunlight left. Maybe we ought to just go to the bluffs.”
My friend balked, “The bluffs sound boring. Why don’t we go up the river?”
“We don’t have enough time,” I countered. “The light will be gone by the time we get there.”
“Ohhh…” she said. I countered with "How about San Miguel Grove, its by the river and it is super close."
She sighed and said, “I was expecting a bigger adventure.”
She didn’t know she was singing one side of my favorite songs.
“The adventure you have is as big as you can make it, whether it is right in front of you or across the world. You don’t have to go to any special place for an adventure, you don’t have to plan an adventure, you simply need to be open to the adventure and the adventure appears.”
She didn’t sound convinced.
It is not a sort of insight that requires debate. I simply know it is from a long-term practice of adventuring.
Are you intrigued by this idea of adventuring, exactly where you are?
- There is no such thing as boring. Boring is an attitude as much as adventuring is. Adopt the opinion that boring doesn’t exist and it won’t, ever again.
- Stay out of your head and language and dive into your senses and languageless observation. This doesn’t mean you don’t speak at all, it means your speech is guided by witness rather than storytelling about last week’s work meeting or your sister’s annoying habit of never returning your emails. Stay present to the adventure. Those conversations can come later, when you are at a ubiquitous coffee house or driving toward your next destination.
- Be ultra alert to your surroundings. Keep your eyes, ears and heart open. You will notice the tiniest insect (and it may delight you) as well as a new plant, a new person, a new construction zone or a beloved friend you thought would never resurface.
- Don’t close any location from your “adventure” list due to your own perceptions. I have had fantastic adventures in urban, rural and suburban settings. Remember, openness.
- Catalog your adventures later in writing, conversations or printed photos.
Here are a few of my photos from the other night. I am guessing you won’t see “boring” anywhere, even though I had to take several of the photos with my phone after my camera ran out of power. The stunning photo at the top of this essay was taken with my phone. It was illustrating again the tools don't matter, the place doesn't matter: what matters is opinion and openness.
Open to the adventure that lives within and all around you right now.
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© 2011
Julie Jordan Scott
This is post 24 of 31 in July for the Ultimate Blog Challenge ~
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