Did your mother ever tell you to
stop frowning because if you held that face for too long it would get stuck
like that? Well mine did. I often
wonder if life is like that. If
you stay too long in an unhappy situation, that becomes the norm. Then you wake up one day and that seems
normal. Really the
underlying question I have been asking myself lately is this, “what fuels the
vagabond?” or rather, “why are some people comfortable with constant motion and
others terrified of it?”
I have come to believe the thrill
of adventure can overcome the fear of living a boring life. There is nothing wrong with wanting
security, and comfort, and consistency.
However, I have found that security, and comfort, and consistency fall
into place much easier after someone has tested themselves against the elements
of the world. After I return home
from a long trip, the running water tastes better; the morning paper reads more
clearly, the laugh of my little sisters holds more magic.
During the last three months I have
had the opportunity to climb the Mexico Volcanoes, attempt big walls in
Southern Patagonia, and ski champagne powder in Colorado. While all these adventures are quite
inspiring, the most influential part of all my travels are the people I meet
and build relationships with along the way. If you spend enough time around people that love adventure
you will find they share a common love of one another. For instance, I can arrive in Puerto
Natales, Chile located on the southern tip of South America. My Spanish is poor at best, and I walk
into a local climbers pub and instantly have a connection with the local
climbers simply because of our common love of the mountains and our general
respect for one another. Or I can
arrive in Ouray, Colorado in the middle of the night after driving for twenty
hours, knock on a friend’s door and have a warm place to stay. The point I am attempting to make is
this, “the people you breath, sweat, bleed, and share life with are the ones
that make the adventures great.” Do not live in fear of becoming normal. Live with the inspiration of having a
great adventure with the ones around you.
