Adventure is a word we throw around most weekends. “What should we do this Saturday, Girls?” my husband will ask our two daughters and me.
“Go on an adventure,” we’ll chime back.
We are on the go a lot. At certain points, we’ve skipped over an ocean to see a new place. We’ve driven cross-country with both kids more times than most will do in a lifetime. A time or two, we’ve even packed up all of our belongings, moved and started over in a whole new place.
But this is not what our daughters mean when we ask them what they want to do on a Saturday. Adventure, for us, is a change of perspective. It’s forcing ourselves out of one attitude and into another. It’s shifting locations to shift our hearts.You don’t have to go far to remind yourself that you’re part of something bigger. When the girls were first born and we didn’t have money to spend on weekend activities, we’d pack the leftovers into a picnic basket and just drive toward a water tower to discover a new small town. When we were living in Brooklyn, there were some days the city was too much. We would pack into the car and just head upstate, no destination in mind, just in search of some fresh air and a hint of green. We’ve explored cornfields in the Midwest, caves of ice in the South, waterfalls in the Rocky Mountains, and unexpected streams hidden in a city park. It’s amazing what you can find if you travel just an hour outside of your comfort zone. It’s amazing what you can find when you’re looking for it.
Adventure is the perfect cure for sorrow, distraction, boredom and wanderlust. It puts you in your place, and it simultaneously reminds you of the endless possibilities available to you. Move your body somewhere new and feel your mind follow. An adventure is simply a change in perspective.
Sarah Ann Noel married into a family where she became the fourth Sarah Noel, so in the interest of originality, Sarah Ann Noel it shall be.
Sarah is a wife, a mother, and a prodigious over-thinker, fueled by superfluous amounts of caffeine. She likes to color coordinate her books and leave her hair messy. She and her family travel a lot, which Sarah documents through photos and video. Sarah is a freelance writer and contributes regularly to several magazines and online platforms.
She is working on her first book. Read more at sarahannnoel.com.
