ADVENTURING

Chapter I

Introduction

We all occasionally have eye-opening experiences. I had one several years ago while at lunch with a friend, Molly Pollasch. She and I are both long-term cancer survivors, and an off-hand remark she made struck me: “You know, John, life has many adventures. When you are weakened by chemotherapy, even being able to venture forth to do your grocery shopping is an adventure.”

That remark made me think. It opened my eyes to an entirely new way to view adventure – not as something rare and available only to a select few, but something available to us all, regardless of our circumstances, and something to enrich our lives.

The notion of being a lifelong adventurer began to haunt me and eventually led to this book: my attempt to share this idea, and perhaps impact some lives for the better.

Think for a moment. Are we not all intrigued by adventures, both real and fictional, that we encounter in books and on film? These are entertaining venues, and we should enjoy them. But too often we leave the reading and watching experiences with an unfortunately limited view of adventure: that it includes only intense physical activities and is available only to the young and strong. A very limited view, indeed.

History buffs can even succumb to the mindset that views adventure as largely in the past. Hasn’t all the earth’s landmass been explored and charted, its mountains climbed, its oceans crossed, its outer space explored? Yes, of course, much adventure has already occurred. But I’ve become convinced, like my friend, that for those with imagination, the opportunities for adventure are limitless.

I’d like to propose a new definition or criteria for adventure: It is the pursuit of any goal that may be beyond one’s reach. It can be physical, emotional, intellectual, or even spiritual. But it always involves an individual pushing his or her limits, and it always carries the risk of failure. Physical goals can be risky to life and limb; intellectual goals can place one’s reputation at risk; emotional and spiritual goals can lead to life-changing experiences where our happiness is at risk.

I wrote this book to give “you” the eye-opening experience of viewing adventure in this new way – to put you on a search for personal adventures to enrich your life.

My approach will be to literally fill your head with stories to help you see adventure’s many dimensions. You will read of adventures that are physically demanding, of course. But you will also encounter examples of intellectual, emotional, and spiritual adventures. You will see these adventures through a group of diverse individuals, read of what they did, and often, through their own words, get clues to their motivations and the risks and rewards involved. And my goal is always to help you recognize the opportunities for adventure in your own life.