For some, adventure looks like simply showing up, taking an alternate route, or even declining to repeat comfortable patterns.
I was unsure my deodorant would hold up as we inched closer to the front of the line. I could feel my heart beating in my throat. My mind, clouded by fear, made futile attempts to create an excuse as to why I needed to escape. We were next. My husband and I stepped up to the platform to strap ourselves into the “Giant Canyon Swing” (a misnomer if you ask me). A more appropriate name would have been “Giant Canyon Sling Shot for Weirdos Who Have Wanted to Experience Being Launched Off a Cliff to Certain Peril.” My eyes dart toward the sign of requirements to ride the death trap, praying that I can get out of this on a technicality. You must be three years old to ride. You must be 48 inches tall. You must be under 400 pounds. Shoot. Why did I agree to this? I look up at my husband’s eyes, giddy with excitement. “Oh yeah,” I thought, “that’s why.” We were in Colorado for our first anniversary, and he told me he wanted nothing more than to experience this with his wife. I had already pledged my life to him. Was that not enough?
We secured ourselves into the leather seats with the pull-down handle. I think, “how is there not more than a pull-down handle for this ride that launches people off a literal cliff?” Our co-passengers are elementary school children with the same animated look as Chad. I find his excited eyes for just a second. I inhale, close my eyes, and brace myself. After about 30 seconds, it was over. My eyes were closed the whole time, and I’m pretty sure Chad still has scars on his arm. I set my feet back on solid ground and finally exhaled. I did it. I was adventurous!
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Adventure doesn’t always look like riding a roller coaster. Adventure is in the eye of the beholder. For my 7-month-old, adventure happened every night around 5:30 pm when she tried a new food for the first time.
For some, adventure looks like simply showing up, taking an alternate route, or even declining to repeat comfortable patterns. It can be moving to a new place, signing adoption papers, writing a book, or saying yes to something that feels impossible. As I wrote this, I imagined a door marked “adventure” and wondered what lies behind it. So naturally, I mentally reach for the handle only to feel an anticlimactic resistance caused by a lock. I started to think: what keeps adventure locked away from our hearts? Before the thought was complete, a deep knowing in my spirit answered: “Fear.” Adventure beckons to our souls because we were made for it. Maybe it’s time we unlock our fears by locking eyes with the One who centers us most and leaps (or perhaps even baby steps) into an adventure.
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Maybe you feel like you are in this space too. You are leaving the safety of the known, measurable, and comfortable to start something new. Choose to reject fear, find each other’s eyes once again, and head out. It’s time to forge new paths together, led by faith in God. Step by step, hand in hand, embark on an adventure together.