A few months ago, my friend called me up to give me the gears. We hadn't been on an adventure together in over a year. Typically, we went at least once a year together on a 4 or 5 day stint where we tried a new sport, hiked a new trail, or ventured beyond the known. When I scanned back in the calendar, I realized she was right. I had been denying myself the pleasure of adventure. And even more sadly, I wasn't pushing myself beyond what I knew. I could actually track this, because every new adventure involves changing or modifying my gear sack, and I couldn't even find my gear!

This made me curious. What had caused me to hang up my gear and stop going on adventures? What was considered an adventure? I have been on day hikes that were profound, did it always have to be splashy and like a week away? What motivated me to jump into my car and drive into the wild unknown? How could I explain the feeling of challenge what I felt during the process of meeting that challenge to others who had never ventured beyond their comfort zones?

I started where I always do when I want to answer and fall deeply into a subject - at my local library. I sat down and mind mapped out adventure, surrounded by stacks of travel guides for the Canadian Rocky Mountains, tales of amazing pioneer mountain women, and children's books about exploring.

Here's what I came up with.

<strong>adventure:
is an exciting experience that is typically a bold, sometimes risky, undertaking.</strong>

That definition from Wikipedia summed it up perfectly, and better yet, it left room from the adventures to be micro sized, or splashy new sports and trails to explore.
<h4>So why do we go on adventure?</h4>
What causes us to go on adventures? What motivates us to pack our survival basics into the car and take off for the wild unknown? I thought about what we were seeking when we went on this adventures - large and small, and here's what I came up with.

We're seeking <strong>reflection</strong>. Looking for breaks from our routines, pulling out of the driveway of our every day life at home, and heading out on to the highway to seek inspiration: re-energization, recharging, refreshing, in whatever form it may come.

We're seeking <strong>space</strong>. The bright blue sky stretches for endless distances, nature envelops us and stretches around all the places where our roads will take us. There's no schedule here, no time deadlines, and we instinctively relax in the monotoneity and never-ending nature of the road.

We're seeking <strong>spontaneity</strong>. Unplanned surprises along the way. The coyote who pops out of the woods to say hello, The ability to stop, pull over and admire and smell the tiger lilies that caught your eye.

Or maybe we're seeking <strong>connection with our friends, family and furry friends</strong>. To make memories with them in the seats of our cars that we can retell over and over again at the campfire. We are switching off our digital devices, and leaning into listening and deep conversations.

We're seeking <strong>nature</strong>. We can escape down backroads, laneways, and drive deeply into nature, to lakes, trails, that allow our bodies to relax and release. To participants in recreation and leisure activities that bring us back to our wellness, and remind us of the healing power of Mother Earth.

Most of all, we're seeking a <strong>connection with ourselves</strong>. To listen to our inner voices, our creativity while our logical brain is involved in driving. Stepping into adventure, lets us step into ourselves, and listen to our inner voices, intuition and body knowledge.

Will you answer the call to go?