Finding Adventure
Making the decision to go
What if I told you, you are only ever one decision away from an adventure?
Adventures can take you to far off places where you swim with manta rays, hold bristly koalas, or get chased by lions. They can take you to glass platforms so high above the ground that your knees buckle; or into caverns far beneath the ground that glitter with the light of a million glowworms. Adventures can take you to places where birds stand over 7 feet tall and people live underground, to entire islands that have no mammals and the highest point is only 23 feet above sea level.
All of those adventures start with a single decision: to go.
Each adventurous decision can lead to another: do I stay in the room or do I go to the cultural center? And another: do I volunteer to dance during the performance, or do I stay in my seat? Then, standing on stage showing off your poi ball skills next to a smiling fire-dancer, you think to yourself how did I get here on this amazing adventure?
It all started with a decision; the decision to go, coupled with the courage to follow-through.
Growing up, my mom told me stories of far-off places. She talked about picking tea leaves outside of Jakarta, being bowed to by deer in Nara, and being charged by African bull elephants in Kenya. She wove fantastic tales about what it was like sailing through an ocean galaxy with the dazzling tapestry of stars above perfectly reflected on the glass-like sea below. My mom’s best friend — and my godmother — was made on that voyage; they were roommates.
Listening to her tales, I made a decision: I was going to go too.
My mom never pushed me or even encouraged me to go, but I decided from a very young age that I was going. So, I did.
The decision to go
With a singular focus, I saved my pennies. Every bit of birthday or holiday money I received from when I was 7 years old, I saved. I needed it. Because I was going to go around the world someday.
Even deciding where I was going to go to college was made with my voyage around the world in mind. 10 out of the 11 schools I was accepted by would have been too expensive for me to be able to go around the world. So I chose the one school that would give me enough scholarships to make going around the world possible — even though that school was not among my top choices.
And now, I’ve been around the world. I’ve visited 40 countries across 6 continents, and I have my own stories to tell. All of this grand adventure started with a single, focused decision: I’m going to go.
Where you go doesn’t matter, but the act of going itself can be the adventure.
You can decide right now to go on an adventure — no matter the circumstance (yes, even in the middle of a pandemic). If you have a car, you can drive somewhere new; if you don’t, you can walk around your neighborhood, city, or town. Or you can take public transport somewhere new — or just somewhere you have been wanting to go. Going to the park or even your favorite cafe can be an adventure if you let it. An adventure doesn’t have to mean a plane ticket and a hotel; it can be a long walk, a new flavor of coffee to try, or talking to a stranger.
Just this morning, I took an incredible adventure to a state beach with my husband and my dog, Captain. The long drive was an adventure, the exploration of the trails on the beach bluffs was an adventure, and the hike down to the beautiful beach was an adventure. And this adventure can be taken at any time — I just have to make the decision to go.
So, where will you make the decision to go?
Leana’s an avid world traveler who has been to over 40 countries and will be venturing to her 7th continent in 2022. She believes in ubuntu and that adventures make life worth living. To follow her journey as a plus-sized woman with unquenchable wanderlust as she continues to seek out all that the world has to offer, you can check out The Overweight Adventurer.
