The Spirit of Adventure

Copyright 2007 Jan Gorski
Pench Tiger Reserve, India

What does "adventure" mean to you? Stepping out of your box, out of your house, trying something new? Taking the leap (out of a plane), eating raw fish (sushi can be so interesting!)?

I thought India was a wild place (mostly the accommodations at the Pushkar Camel Fair and the fact that we were tiger bait in the open jeeps...), but as we try to finalize our Indonesia trip I see that there really are some pretty wild places left in this world.

Wilderness means a lot of different things to everyone. Some want to be the only person to step on a particular piece of land in a place far far away. Some want the peace and quiet of a cabin in the woods or perhaps a lounge chair on a lake or a bivouac on a cliff side or ... what is your definition of "Wild"?

I've ridden a few elephants on my travels but this was definitely the first time I've had to climb a ladder to mount my ride into the peaceful grasslands of the tiger. In India the choice is a few steps here and there off your jeep or - in this case off a steel ladder. In Nepal, we had a man-made platform to jump on board. Does this seem unnatural? I know all you horse riders are thinking ... what's the problem? I can't tell you how many hands an elephant is vs a horse - but it's a ton more than a human could leap and I'm not sure all of us are that comfortable getting on a typical horse either!

The whole point behind the adventure is to just go with the flow.... you don't worry about the ladder slipping or the elephant moving or whatever. You "just do it" - to quote a familiar motivational slogan... The experiences we had with the tigers in their environment cannot be described in the written word. When you are used to seeing tigers pacing back and forth in man-made cages in a zoo you are comforted by the joy they express in their own territory. They are at peace with their surroundings, yet doing their job of protecting their territory.

Are there things that prevent you from expressing yourself because you are in a place you don't want to be? A "caged tiger" so to speak? If so, what will you do to move forward?

I took a class today on "Conquering Clutter," as I have a basement full of stuff that was moved from the rest of my house to the basement after a remodel - kind of a 'purgatory' or holding place. Things that I wasn't ready to part with, that have some "perceived" value that need to move on. What does it take to remove the clutter from our lives to open the doors to experience the new adventure that lies ahead?

My basement will be a project in and of itself but tonight I learned of a number of cool ways to declutter my life. Here is a simple task that could relieve a lot of your clutter-stress! If you are receiving way more catalogs than you desire and you have an interest in saving a few trees check out this website: https://www.catalogchoice.org/

Happy Trails!