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What Adventure Means to Me

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru

Adventure is a word that is so often used, but does anyone REALLY know what it means? What is adventure? What does it mean to be adventurous? Does it always have to entail bungee jumping or diving through shipwrecks? Jumping off exotic waterfalls or trekking through the Amazon, waist deep in leech infested waters? Is that really what adventure is? That would most definitely cover most general ideas of what it means to be adventurers, but to me, adventure means so much more. I have realized that part of the beauty of adventure is the fact that each person has a different opinion of what adventure is.

Adventure to me is about going out of your comfort zone to open yourself up to the experiences and splendor life gives you, no matter what path you choose to go on. Adventure is about taking each experience, and facing it head on with no holdbacks or reservations. It is about being able to see the world from a different perspective, even if you’ve seen it a million times before. It is choosing to see the beauty from the ordinary and finding new ways on how to do things differently. One of the many aspects that makes Green River Preserve so great is that each person who comes here gets to experience an adventure every single day. It’s stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something that you normally wouldn’t do. From helping someone you have never before had a conversation with, to working up the courage to make a new friend. It is about finding something you love and pursuing it, relentlessly.

Adventure to me is exploring where you are and choosing to look at everything differently or enjoying the journey rather than the destination. Every single day I see these kids experience so many wonderful adventures, I realize how blessed I am to incorporate that into my own adventure.

Story by Samantha J. Keebler
Photos by Brandon S. Marshall