Don gave me this card on our anniversary.
Along with the fabulous scenery and Adirondack chairs (still dreaming of a pair for the cottage) and the lovely font, it is the message that resonates so strongly with us.
Life is an adventure and our life together is an adventure. We use that word all of the time.
Adventure.
As with any adventure, risks are involved. The unknown lies ahead. There may be sadness or fear or heartbreak. But there may be incredible rewards and joy and happiness. Who knows? You can do all your research, gather all your supplies, plot your course and set out on your journey. But what lies ahead is a mystery.
Maybe we’re crazy and maybe ‘adventure’ is our way of describing the stress we often feel. Certainly, two people with careers in the arts who deal with the accompanying insecurity and lowish pay might do well to call their life together an adventure. It’s a roller coaster ride, that’s for sure.
But adventure implies so much more. It speaks of possibilities, of new experiences, of discoveries, of the unknown. It speaks of surprise and joy.
Did I ever tell you this little story? Two years ago I had to have two procedures done. The first was an emergency procedure as I had a blocked bile duct that was making me very sick and turning my skin yellow. The second was the removal of my gall bladder. The only other surgery I had ever had was the removal of my tonsils when I was eight. Facing the first procedure, I was especially nervous about the anesthesia and everyone assured me I would be fine. In fact, as they were assuring me, I was going under and didn’t know it. Don was out in the hallway as they wheeled me out of the prep room and into the operating room. As I passed him, I thrust my arm in the air and shouted out, “Let the adventure begin!”
Needless to say I have no remembrance of this whatsoever. Don, on the other hand, laughed out loud. The nurses and staff were even chuckling.
We still talk about it and laugh. But the point is, even under anesthesia, the idea of life being an adventure stuck. Frankly, sometimes the adventure is a little too crazy and scary and it keeps me awake at nights and I’d like it to settle down for a long while. At other times, it is amazing and serendipitous and wondrous and beautiful. I think that your perspective changes when you think of life as an adventure. So I try to remember that. In the midst of worry or pain, I remind myself that life is an adventure.
I’m grateful I’m sharing this adventure with my husband. But adventures are not dependent on that. Adventures are there for all of us.
Here’s to adventures.
Happy Friday.
Good morning, Claudia, and happy Friday to you as well! What a lovely post–it made me smile. I hope your adventures are all of the warm and satisfying type this weekend! xxoo, Martha
You too, Martha!
LOL. I love how your spirit shown through under the anesthesia. Me, I threatened a nurse in the recovery room when she wouldn’t let me sleep after coming out of a C-Section. I wonder what that says about my spirit! LOL
Thank you for this post, Claudia. It speaks volumes to the ‘adventure’ of my life that I find myself in at this time. I love how you and Don have chosen to embrace and celebrate your life instead of bemoaning it as so many people do. I love it and I am going to take this lesson to heart. ‘Surprise and Joy.’ I can sure use this in my life right about now. Thanks for the words of wisdom.
Have a good weekend.
~ Cassandra
You are very welcome, Cassandra. Have a wonderful weekend.
I sometimes wish things could be a little less “adventureful”…but life would be awfully dull, I think. It’s not always easy to do, but to see life as a wonderful adventure, even in the tough times, certainly makes the whole thing a deal more fun.
Wishing you a peaceful weekend.
It certainly isn’t always easy to do. I sometimes struggle with it. But I do my best to keep that thought in my head. xo
Me too. x
PS…I’ve just been listening to Don’s music. I LOVE it! Such wonderful songs…such a beautiful voice.
Thank you. I will pass your kind words on to Don.
CLAUDIA, I HAVE BEEN TOLD MANY TIMES OVER MY LIFE, “THE ONLY THING YOU CAN COUNT ON IN THIS LIFE IS CHANGE”! EVERY TIME I THINK ABOUT THAT…..SOMETHING CHANGES! -JUDY A-
You’re not kidding, Judy!
Claudia, my husband and I always called our life an “adventure”, and it was indeed. I thought my adventure ended with his death, but your last sentence tells me different. Thank you. I’ve needed extra encouragement this week, our first dark, sleety intro to winter. The sun is shining this morning, another mood booster, I may find an adventure on my own today.
Love that card, BTW. Thank you. Hedy
It must be especially hard to keep that thought in mind after the loss of a beloved spouse, Hedy. Bless you.
That’s a fine spirit, Claudia! One that serves anyone well. I’d so much rather my kids got up in the morning feeling like that rather than expecting the worse.
I hope you have a nicely adventurous weekend,
Dewena
Thanks, Dewena. It’s something I’ve had to nurture because I was raised by a wonderful mom, don’t get me wrong, but she often said to me, “Don’t get your hopes up, then you won’t be disappointed.” Not very good words to pass on to your children. I’ve tried very hard to reshape my way of thinking to eliminate that negativity.
“Let the adventure begin”..that is priceless Claudia..it probably helped Don to get through his worry about you being in surgery..A lovely thought for this cloudy, cold Friday..I say “let the adventure continue”!!
Amen!
Life is a journey is my motto and an adventure for sure! So glad you and Don share that together. Love that you said that on the way to surgery! I’m smiling from this post!
hugs,
Linda
Oh, I provide a lot of laughs around here, for sure!
Yes, life sure is an adventure! Mine has been a roller-coaster ride this year! It helps change my perspective when I think of it as an adventure. This one has been a bit scary. It’s wonderful to have a companion to share the adventure with. The card Don picked for you is perfect! Thanks for the reminder that life is truly an adventure. It’s an interesting adventure.
I know your adventure has been scary, Sandy. But your bravery and spirit are admirable!
You know what, I really needed this right now! Thanks.
Mary
Oh, I’m so happy that this resonated with you, Mary. xo
Oh I love an adventure! We think adventure all the time too…it’s how we are wired! And, that’s exactly what life is…an adventurous journey. And I can’t think of a better way to take that journey, than with the one you love! Great anesthesia story! ;)
Me and anesthesia = crazy.
What a glorious story Claudia! It sounds like you have one of those very special and unique relationships… and you are oh so lucky! Life is an adventure and we all do ourselves a huge injustice when we don’t explore it to its fullest! Thank you for reminding me how wonderful and important adventure is.
Hugs and enjoy the weekend!
Same to you, Beth!
I agree life is an adventure and journey and our spouses/partners are our travel companions. My favorite joke is: How do you make God laugh? Answer: Make plans.
Absolutely, Tina!
Cute story, I have had to much adventure lately and would like to wake up without my stomach churning:)
You definitely deserve some less adventuresome moments, my friend.
Can you tell me again what camera you use. I thought I saved the post, but I did not. Thank you.
Canon Rebel t3i.
I feel the same way about adventure.
The bad is necessary otherwise we wouldn’t know the sensation of good.
I felt that way at the state fair last week…climbing the talk\l stairs, sometimes ramp, then stairs again to get to the very top–whew! the over look was amazing and dizzying all at the same time… at one point I had to slow down and lean on the railing to catch my breath (I was shocked at how out of shape I am) …I even thought at one point I was pretty nauseated. But man! the ride down that super slide with the wind in my hair and my grandson between my knees, the laughing all the way…and the big smiles at the end. All wonderful!! Then his exclamation at the end of the day that he’d “had a good time on the big slide with me”. The best feeling in the world. Without climbing those awful stairs…the adventure would NOT have been. :)
Glad that you and Don share a life of adventure. No matter where it takes you. :) Pat
Good for you, Pat! Even though getting there was a pain, the payoff was worth it!
It’s funny how people react differently under anesthesia. I’m simply boring and groggy; Tim was funny and laughing; Phil was crying! Brian’s never been under anesthesia – well, not since he was 7 years old and had a tonsillectomy.
I was in the same place as Brian before the surgery. And I believe I had a bad reaction to the anesthesia when I had my tonsils removed. I was nauseous and they had to keep me in the hospital for observation. Yikes.
LOL- Let the adventure begin, indeed. That is kind of the way I feel about my whole life. Love the card Don gave you- xo Diana
I don’t know how he does it but he finds the perfect cards!
Wonderful story. I love the “let the adventure begin” part. I remember telling the nurse her cap covering her hair was prettier than mine while they were wheeling me in for gall bladder surgery. Mine was plain green while hers was a floral print.
Our adventure yesterday involved a borrowed truck, and a tire blow out on tne interstate in the middle of a busy city. Thankfully, my husband maneuvered the truck from the middle lane to the side of the road and the only damage done was to the tire.
Because of the incident we ended up meeting 5 people we most likely would never have met otherwise and I got to ride in the big old tow truck. Certainly not the way we had planned on spending our day :)
Oh boy, you DID have an adventure! How wonderful of you to see the positive side, meeting new people, riding in a tow truck – good for you!
What an uplifting post today. I love your adventure card and I’m imagining myself sitting there waiting for one to unfold. Life doesn’t always go as planned, but by looking at is as you do, it can become more bearable and hopefully better than we expected!
It’s a challenge, but I sure do my best to see it that way. Some days I have to work very, very hard to see the ‘adventure.’
Life is definitely an adventure, Claudia with many ups and downs. For those of us who work for ourselves, it can be a scary adventure sometimes, but it is wonderful that you have Don to share it with. Keep smiling my friend. You have a wonderful attitude. xo Laura
You too, Laura!
A beautiful post! I love all of your posts – but this is your best. So uplifting! Thanks Claudia!
It’s an adventure for me just to get out of an Adirondack chair :)