As an educator, I love summer reading – the chance to explore different literature. This summer, I read John Krakauer’s Into the Wild, my son’s summer read, and pondered the term adventure. This book chronicles Christopher McCandless’s journey of deserting conventional life to see how wild he could become. McCandless said, “The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure.” No matter where I went this summer, I connected my activities to this thought. I considered, how do I live into adventure?
My mind swirled questioning McCandless’s statement as the Foo Fighters performed in front of me. Dave Grohl sang, “What if I say I'm not like the others? What if I say I will never surrender?” Watching this band drive emotion through their unique songs, I wondered if adventure only comes from ditching convention. Being oneself -- never surrendering oneself to others -- suggests that we can only sense adventure individually. Stunned, I listened. Do I really have to abandon others to find adventure?
I think, instead, adventure develops in the moment. Embracing what’s in front of us, we will find passion. Georgia O’Keefe said, “When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment.” The adventure grows from allowing ourselves the opportunity to attend to that point in time.
In the end, adventures can take any form. As long as we allow them to play on, we can live fully.
I’m Elsa Glover and that’s my perspective.
