My plan for last week's ONE thing was to revive my sense of adventure. I thought I would do that by enjoying whatever unfolded on my family vacation. I do think that keeping this perspective in my mind was helpful, but I'm not sure it turned out the way I thought it would, (which is maybe the point). Sadly both my children got sick on the long bus journey we took to see the Grand Canyon. My poor daughter was in agony, from feeling like her throat was closing up, to excruciating ear pain and a stuffed nose that turned into a bleeding nose (for almost an hour). I felt so bad for her and was plying her with so many drugs, I was worried she might OD on cold medication. When we finally got to the Grand Canyon, I was blown away by the view. I thought about my commitment to revive my sense of adventure and took a moment to appreciate the magnificence of the place. But I felt like I had failed in my intention to revive my adventurous spirit as I felt weighed down by my children's misery on the journey. Even though I couldn't predict their illness, the plan to take the long bus ride to the Grand Canyon and back, felt like a major planning error in retrospect.
On further reflection, I realize that maybe this experience was perfect for reviving my sense of adventure. Adventure isn't always about having that "high" you get from doing something daring or new. Adventure also requires getting out of your comfort zone and being willing to deal with the consequences that come with it. My Grand Canyon experience definitely wasn't comfortable. It was an adventure just to survive it. At one point on the bus journey, as our bus driver was droning on his canned speech of facts about the canyon and the sights on the way, someone said in a loud voice, "Has he been drinking?" My eyes popped wide as they connected with a fellow traveller in the seat across from me. We both acknowledged that our driver's voice did sound like that of a drunk balladeer, but I wouldn't have thought it until someone voiced it. We all started laughing nervously and used humour to stave off our fear. We were all connected in the same way that soldiers in the trenches connect. We laughed harder in the funny videos the bus company chose to show on the journey, because we could related to crazy scenarios in the movie RV and Family Vacation - Las Vegas, as if we were characters in the film. Part of being adventurous is having things go wrong and knowing that you can survive - and even laugh about it.
So now that I home from my "adventurous" vacation, I am happy to get back into routine. Which leads me to this week's question. "What is ONE Thing you could do this week to spice up your routine?" That could mean adding something fun or exciting to your weekly routine like a date night, going to a new restaurant, checking out local entertainment. It could be trying a new exercise class. It could be doing housework or chores while listening to your favourite music. It could mean adding anything you find interesting to your routine or taking out something that you find really boring (or changing it up in a way to make it more fun).
For myself, I am focussing on ramping up my exercise routine because I am running a 1/2 marathon at the end of June. The way I have decided to "spice up" my exercise routine is to learn a new Zumba routine each week. I used to teach Zumba classes and I always had fun learning a new routine to add to my repertoire. I have missed that and also missed the dancing. It won't make me a faster runner, but it will increase my enjoyment in all my other training and in life in general.
What will you do to spice up your routine? I'd love to hear what you are planning! Feel free to comment below in our
.