Do you like road trips? Where do you like to go? Are you a solo driver or do you like to bring friends along? Did you know there are people who DON’T like road trips unless every detail is planned out ahead of time? I found this out the hard way.
One of the things I love to do is just take off on a road I’ve never been on before. Sometimes it’s a road I’ve passed many times and wondered what was at the other end, but sometimes it’s one I’ve been on already and just really love. When my son was growing up we’d often play the game of “left, right, forward” and I’d let him choose the direction we went. This made it fun for me because even though I knew where we’d end up, I didn’t know where he’d take us. I guess I just love the surprise. It was a great way to show him that he can trust his decisions too because even if we hit a dead end, we could just turn around and try another road. What a great metaphor for a successful life! My son is fearless when it comes to driving and recently made his first solo cross country trip at the age of 19. He’s fearless in life as well and started his own videography business when he was 17. He knows, without a doubt, that if he tries something and hits a dead end, the ride isn’t over, it’s just time to choose another road.
Back to that lesson I learned…So, I was 21, driving around somewhere in the redwoods near Duncan’s Mills in Sonoma County. My fiancé was in the passenger seat and he seemed to be on board with the driving around thing, but also kept asking me if I had a map. Of course I had a map, but of course I wasn’t going to use it…where’s the adventure in that??? What I kept missing was his mounting agitation as I’d go from a fork in the road leading down a mountainous rocky road, to a mossy lane climbing to a mountaintop with glorious views from here to the end of the world.
Then he screamed, “STOP!! I’m getting out of the car!” and I knew he was serious. He really did get out, he was flailing his arms and stomping his feet (literally, I swear) and said he wouldn’t get back in until I told him where we were and proved we could get home.
Of course I knew where we were! Geez. We were somewhere between the Pacific Ocean, the Russian River, and Highway 101. I mean, we were wandering, we weren’t freaking lost! It’s not like we were on another planet, or like our planet had edges we could fall off of.
I learned a couple of valuable lessons that day, and since then have encountered other people who are afraid of getting lost. I can’t imagine how many things they’ve missed out on in their lives because of this fear. It’s probably kept them safe a number of times too, but oh, how many adventures I’d have missed had my defining force been the fear of being lost!
I rarely let fear win over fun. There was one time, and it had to do with a shark, in Guam, but that’s a tale for another day.
Do you remember a time when you said no to an adventure and wish you’d said yes? Is there something you wonder or dream about but are afraid to try? What’s the worst that could happen? You could die? That’s a valid reason for choosing to say no. Just remember though, just because you’re breathing doesn’t mean you’re living.
LOVE YOU!!! Just for today, do one little thing you’re afraid to do. If you can’t do it, at least think about it and smile because you’re alive J
Corey
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