Adventure according to Kim Christenson

Kim Christenson from Talk Wordy to Me is a writer, blogger, mother and traveler.  She has a love for adventure and seems to turn even a trip to the library into a fun excursion. Her words about adventure are inspiring and I feel so lucky to know her. 

To me, adventure means discovering something new. Maybe not new to everyone, but new to me. A new city. A new landscape. A new hike or museum. Even a new friend. 

In that sense, I’ve always been an adventure seeker. 

I’m always chasing the thrill of something new, something different. Something that expands my view and gives me a peek into the vastness and diversity of the world and its beauty. 

Research says that having an adventure boosts happiness and wellbeing. And that when you experience something new and exciting with someone else, it makes that relationship feel new and exciting too. 

I’ve never really been a homebody, which is good and bad. Bad, because I always get antsy for the next adventure, for the next trip, the next place to call home. There always has to be something on the calendar to look forward to. 

Sometimes I find myself hanging in the balance of being grateful for what I have and where I am, even if that means staying put for awhile. 

But it’s good, because I believe a constant yearning for discovery is healthy for me and healthy for my children. 

Now, adventure doesn’t have to mean a big expensive trip. Remember that definition: New? 

After a lucky back-to-back trip to Hawaii during the dreariest months of winter in Utah, I ached for the days of carefree sunshine with my family. I missed the “vacation me.” And I didn’t want to go back to my day-to-day routine as “Mom,” where my job description was: Keep kids entertained indoors. Break up fights. Clean house. Make food. I was in the habit of counting down the hours, the minutes until my husband got home from work and I could have a minute to breathe. To maybe do something I wanted to do instead of catering to lots of little needs.I realized I had to change the way I was doing things.  

Instead of essentially passing the hours until my husband got home and I could have a break, I decided to create our own adventures. Sometimes, that means taking the train downtown and visiting a museum. Sometimes it just means finding a new park or new walk, or even reading a new book. What matters is that it’s something new, even if only slightly, from our lived-in routine. And that has been enough to add some cheer and purpose to the monotony we all started to feel. 

So, while traveling will always be my favorite form of adventure, we’re trying to find it in our everyday lives. And it's making all the difference.