There is a lot to be said for taking comfort in the familiar. I rarely travel and not look forward to coming home to my own bed, my own kitchen, my own routines. That said, I’ve rarely taken a trip and held regret. I love to travel because I like to see something new and more importantly, I want to see something through the eyes of others.
Leaving home or leaving the comforts of your familiar routine can be daunting, even unappealing to some. But living a life fully means seeking bravery and adventure in some realm or other in this life of ours. This statement does not mean we all have to find a far off land to travel to or go climb Mount Everest. Being brave and adventuresome can happen right here at home. It happens when we cross the threshold from complacency to engagement. When we no longer say this will do and instead say, I am going to do…
It happens at the grocery store when you pick up an exotic fruit and take it home for the family to try. It happens when you take yourself out to dinner or the movies—with no reviews or perhaps all by yourself. It happens when the stranger holding the sign at the corner offers a smile and you smile back. It happens when you follow a different route to work or school, when you give a different response to the familiar question, “How are you?” What bravery and adventure boil down to is the opening of ourselves to the vulnerabilities that exist in all of us when we try something—anything—new.
There is no instrument of measure to say whether or not you are brave or if you have succeeded in adventure. However, there is a place inside all of us that recognizes when we reach just a bit beyond our comfort zone and extend our bodies as well as our minds. This is the place of adventure for those willing to be brave.