I used to have adventures. Now I have great stories and fond memories, but my everyday life is routine and... normal. What the hell happened? In the last few years, I have totally changed gears.
I'm approaching forty. It's natural that the pace of my life has adapted from my twenties, but when I say I have had adventures I mean they go all the way back to early childhood. I have been stuck in a cave, I have been stranded in the woods in a heavy snowfall, I've met people and have seen things that I will never acknowledge again out loud. I've been slugged by strangers, I attract crazy people. I rode a mule with a shotgun across my lap and bathed in the lake. I declined a job opportunity with the CIA. I saw a man get stabbed in a phone booth when I was little. I used to take road trips with no destination in mind, meet strangers and ask them to tell me their story if they pleased (and a lot of them did). I danced with my future husband at Shelvin Rock under the brightest moon I have ever seen. I've been so poor that I didn't have enough change for a Taco Bell burrito. I've experienced the complete graciousness of strangers and the cruelty of people who knew me best. A stranger kissed me for luck in a Las Vegas elevator, and I took a nap with a wild cat. Of all of my many adventures with Bart, Bigfoot hunting in the mountains for a week is my very favorite to date. I knew I had the man of my life when the angry men with machine guns came out of nowhere in Mexico, and he calmly moved between me and them. I'm not even kidding on that last one, they weren't interested in us but any time there is live ammo on the scene it is freaking intense.
But now my adventures are different. I'm going to college now, when most of my friends got it out of the way years ago. I've been in fights that didn't make my heart beat like when I took my algebra final. I have met some of the most amazing people in the last few years, and for the most part my world is full of joy an giggles. My adventures have turned into goals and objectives. There's not necessarily anything wrong with that, either. I'm kind of excited to see what it's like to temper adventure with wisdom. Having said that, I think it's time to get out there a little and do something different. I'm not changing my trajectory, but I need to have some variety or I'll start to get restless.
There's a cave I've been meaning to check out, but the only thing that is holding me back is my pinkie toe. Oh no, wait, it's that I'm freaking terrified of caves after being stuck in one for hours. I went into them years later, but nobody else knew I was fighting panic attacks. Or maybe they did, when I started telling them they were sucking up all the AIR and why couldn't they let me have some of the goddamned AIR. So there's that. I'm going to start with bigger roomier caves and work my way down to narrower fits, because the one I have to go through is low and unpleasant.
I'm also going back to the Heavener Runestone. No amount of research can replace the experience of being there, and I plan to use the visit for both a fiction piece and a non-fiction article. I need to map the area, get some photos of the setup, the rune's setting in the cliff face, and do some local interviews about the history of the area. The non-fiction piece is a bit dry, I'm not going to lie. But the fiction idea I have is a real humdinger, more about that coming soon. Anyway, in 2014 I'm going to try my best to have at least one day to roam the area, and one to talk to people. School won't allow a lot of wiggle room there, so I'm planning while I write this post.
That's a start. This all really just dawned on me yesterday at work, so it's all coming together. For extra awesomeness, whenever I go I'll try to get it out on Facebook so I can meet some folks I wouldn't normally get to see. I'm not wringing my hands and cackling yet, but I definitely feel a wicked giggle coming on. I need adventure, and by God I will have it.
B
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