A New Kind of Adventure

I'm used to going on adventures. And, by adventures I mean...going on trips, making goals and checking them off, and doing hard things. It's just what I do and what I did for the last 15 years of my life.

When I was 15 I went to China

At 19 I worked in NYC with my brother-in-law Mark.

At 21 I lived in London and traversed through Europe

At 21 and 4 months I entered the MTC and served an LDS mission for 1.5 years

At 24 I moved to DC and started working in the inner-city at 25

While in DC I ran half-marathons, went on more international trips, and spent many weekends on the eastern seaboard.

Then I moved back to Utah and took a cross-country road trip by myself

It probably sounds like I may be bragging in this post, but I'm not, just trying to prove a point. The fact of the matter is that these experiences have been what I have called adventures over the last 15 years. Travel, friends, goals, hard things. And they are, still, adventures.

But now my life has become a different kind of adventure. Not saying that those bucket list items can't be done anymore, because they can. But I find myself embracing a slower pace of life that includes:

1. Living with my mom

2. Going to a family ward

3. Teaching middle school…yes, middle school. It's definitely an adventure!

4. Watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix streaming

5. Seeing family weekly and other friends sporadically

6. Dating my boyfriend. :)

7. Exercising, or trying to.

It doesn't seem that exciting, especially when you compare it to some of my adventures that I listed previously, but I am reminding myself that my current life situation is good, like really good (I'm dating someone for goodness sake!) and it's OK to have a change of pace. It's just been hard for me to redefine what an adventure is.

I just have to remember that every stage of life brings a unique adventure. And all adventures are good, regardless of form, function, place, thing, or circumstance! Bring it. I can do hard things!