What Makes it an Adventure?
Child led adventures sound amazing. But what qualifies as an adventure?
Doing some free association, here are some things that come to mind:
Dragons
Castles
Far Away Places
Swashbuckling Pirates
Danger
Mountain Climbing
White Water Rafting
And. As a mother of a three and six year old AND who lives in a non magical world, these are ALL non-starters.
Does this mean I’m destined to have to skip all of the adventures until my kids are older? Or until someone figures out how to create a real live Hogwarts?
Adventuring as a Verb
A quick Language Arts lesson: Adventure can be a noun or a verb.
When “adventure” is used as a destination, as in “All of my adventures take place in magical worlds with dragons and danger,” it is a noun.
When “adventure” shows engagement, such as “I adventured into the forest” or “I’m adventuring with my dogs on the beach,” it is a verb.
There are two different ways we can look at an adventure: (1.) as a destination we must get to or (2.) as something we’re constantly doing.
(Do you see where I’m going with this?)
“I adventured through our family’s game closet and spent the evening in a spirited Uno battle.”
“I will go on an adventure through an overgrown trail and climb rocks.”
“I’m adventuring into the world of Minecraft.”
If we look at adventure as a place we have to get to, it becomes something that’s over there. Not here. Adventuring requires putting on coats and boots and packing and planning and training and snacks, snacks, and more snacks.
But being in a constant state of adventuring makes magic out of the mundane.
Craving the BIG, Embracing the SMALL
Honest parenting moment: I miss the big adventures.
I miss booking vacations that include 13 hour plane rides, far off lands, new foods, new people, late nights, early mornings, swimming with sharks, or simply hours at a coffee shop or brewery.
I miss them.
And.
I’m content in the small adventures. The nightly game of tag around the kitchen island, collecting eggs in the afternoon, bundled up play in the snow, cannonballs in the pool. These are the every day, mundane adventures that make up our life right now.
It’s ok to use the small adventures today as a place holder for bigger ones tomorrow.
And what isn’t an Adventure?
Nothing.
If it’s an adventure to you, it’s an adventure.
All of the really fun things can be an adventure: vacations, mud pies, Minecraft Realms, make-believe monster hunting, camping, cooking dinner.
All of the really hard things can be an adventure: homework, chores, the doctor’s office. Even roller coaster emotions can be an adventure.
It won’t always feel like an adventure, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t one.
Adventures are not just feel good romps in the woods. The best adventure stories have setbacks, hard times, and self doubt. It makes the mountaintop even more satisfying.
And when it’s tough and when it’s hard and when we’re wishing that we could fast forward through this part, we can rest in the knowledge that the hard things are what forge relationships.
The hard things elevate the adventure.
So.
Let’s Adventure
Cheers!
