Venturing Out on Limbs
Ad-ven-ture
1. an exciting or very unusual experience.
2. participation in exciting undertakings or enterprises: the spirit of adventure.
3. a bold, usually risky undertaking; hazardous action of uncertain outcome.
4. to risk or hazard.
5. to take the chance of; dare.
I really love adventure, really. Adventure rules, man.
That up there, see, up there? is a partial list of definitions per dictionary.com. I kept the ones that I found somewhat surprising. I think we have watered down adventure over time. I think we overlook the "exciting", the "unusual", the "bold", "risky".............ohhhh, and hazardous, that's a good one. "Dare". I like that one, dares are fun and we don't do enough of them anymore. They certainly can be adventurous, huh? I dare you to send me sexually compromising photographs of yourself. That would be bold, yeah? Potentially risky? Not with me of course but most likely with just about anyone else. Hazardous? In the wrong hands of course. Uncertain outcome? I wonder if Edge touches himself when he looks at sexually compromising photographs? OK so maybe not so uncertain
So I had lots of adventures the past couple of weeks, hence the interest here, and it got me to thinking about the whole adventuresome concept. Some people are more adventurous than others. Well yeah. I've always been a bit of an adventure junkie. Not like death defying and all (unless you consider the possibility of overdose or sexually transmitted disease death defying) but the thrill seeking stuff for sure, I really like that stuff. And the unusual, yeah the unusual is very cool as well. To me anyway. Exciting? I'm there, yup, up for excitement for very sure. I do bold pretty well too. Dares too. (Here, hold my beer and watch this!)
Some people aren't all that shot in the ass about adventures. You may be one of them. My folks certainly are not seeking adventure. Changing brands of cereal is about as much of an edge as they want to experience. They want their experiences usual. And routine. And very much without risk.
I don't think people have enough adventure in their lives and I think that's why there is so much boredom, restlessness and ennui (I think The Emu's Ennui would be a great title for a children's book). I think that many of us (oh come on, don't tell me you haven't been enticed) are vulnerable here on the internets because of that lack of adventure in our lives. In general we're missing out on those definitions up there. I know, some of you are like my parents and want to know your day in advance like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day which is fine if that's how you roll but a lot of people are really fucking BORED. Bored by jobs, kids, lovers, spouses, lousy sex, no sex, gas prices, politics, TV sitcoms, on and on and on.
Anyway (finally), I thought a lot about my adventures of the past two weeks, especially the joy of adventure in the desert (or the seashore, or lake or river or wherever your adventure flag flies) and I am going to re dedicate myself to a greater sense of adventure while I'm still capable of sitting up and taking nourishment. Not that I wasn't wide open to adventure anyway but I want to be braced for those risks I'm about to take, those bold exciting undertakings. The chances, the dares, all that trigger tripping stuff. Bring it on Adventure bitch, I'm ready.
Happy adventuring to you as well.
