Adventure!

I’ve been in Massachusetts for five months now! Over time, the flavor of adventure changes. If you are up for it, here are some thoughts on “adventure” from your friendly neighborhood traveling nurse.

Adventure Is Fleeting

She is the wind that whips through my hair

And she gently whispers,

Calling on me

Tales of being free, of

Letting nothing be

Expected of me.

To the sound of her dizzying songs

I buckle at my knees

Spinning to find her

In troubled seas.

My eyes lift to a blue horizon

Adventure, I call,

To blow away these

Dusty cobwebs

To feel in ways

I’ve forgotten to feel,

But, are you here?

Or are you yet in that seductive

Elsewhere.

With a salty taste I find I’m

Stuck

Nowhere.

Adventure

Someone exclaimed to me recently, “you’re so adventurous!” Huh, I thought. I don’t feel very adventurous.

Adventure! It’s a word that has been on my mind for a number of years. After all, I’m in my twenties! Aren’t these years supposed to be about adventure? AM I DOING IT RIGHT? Adventure is something I idolize and simultaneously am skeptical of, hence the poem above which I wrote circa 2018…. So, what does it even mean to be adventurous?

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the definition of adventure is more or less 1.) an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks and 2.) an exciting or remarkable experience.

Am I Adventurous: The Adventure Factors in My Life:

An undertaking involving unknown risks (3)

EVERYTHING is new. Work. Grocery store. Gym. People. Travel. It takes time to figure out what actions produce positive results, so, newness = unknown risks.
I’ve lived in three different apartments since January and I am learning a thing or two about my boundaries and what is tolerable to live with and what I can adapt to = unknown risks.
Transitioning from a job where I was very comfortable to a job where I was much less comfortable = unknown risks.

Exciting and remarkable experiences (9)

I’m following my dreams! I wanted to make a big life change, and I did it. Cool!
Living in a wicked, cool city with some wicked history.
Trying to use wicked correctly in sentences, New England style
Dunkin Donuts and watching New Englanders inhale iced coffee in the winter
Lobster. Rolls. &. Cannolis.
Experiencing the Patriots win the Superbowl while living in Boston (even if I wanted them to lose…)
Seeing the New England Rev’s (pro soccer) win a game RIGHT AFTER firing their coach! And the $13 tickets were also pretty remarkable….
Winning a futsal championship
Running a half marathon in under 2 hours
Living an hour from the ocean

Total score: 13

Conclusion:

Yeah, I’ll take it! I am adventurous. I’ve invited the unknown into my life, and even if I miss my old life sometimes, this life is definitely exciting and remarkable.

Maybe the twenties are about adventure (will reanalyze this in my thirties I’m sure), but adventure should not be misconstrued as a fun-fest. It’s more like a rite of passage for new adults; risk is inevitable, and hopefully, there are some exciting and remarkable experiences along the way. Learning how to be a nurse was one of the biggest adventures of my life. With my current adventure, traveling solo for work, I am learning at rapid-fire pace what I can handle and—honestly—what I cannot handle. Also, adventure can seem individualistic and self-focused, but learning how to be a part of a community is an adventure unto itself. That’s an adventure I don’t get to be on right now. Finally, one of the ways I’m coping with my travel nursing adventure is giving myself a deadline for when I’m going to be done traveling. Turns out, I need the hope of stability to cope with the change.

As for feeling adventurous? I’d guess that’s less life circumstance and more a cultivation of curiosity, wonder, and gratitude. Turns out, moving every three to six months has nothing to do with whether or not my life is adventurous or not. Hmmmmm….

Featuring: Heyyyy springggg!!!

Featuring: Finishing races with pups & friends, a lovely birthday roaming the cemetery with Danielle (morbid, eh?), visits from my friend Carissa, my sister Emily, and beach days!