Lets Take a Trip Down Adventure Lane

3am:  I’m sitting with my friend in the dorms and we look at each other. He says to me, “Edith I’m bored let’s go do something!” I look back at him and say “Okay, let’s go” We get up off our lazy asses and head out the door. We couldn’t decide what to do but we just kept walking on campus and talking about our long and strenuous day. When we get to the top of the hill, there are two individuals talking to each other. One of them was laying flat on the floor as if he were bored out of his mind. The other guy was standing idle looking straight at my friend and I. We approach them and say “Hey, what’s up?” the one on the floor said “Bored as fuck, what about you guys?” My friend and I looked at each other and we both giggled and responded simultaneously, “same.” We followed up by introducing ourselves and they introduced themselves. The guy that was standing asked us why we were walking around campus at 3am and my friend proceeded  by telling them that we wanted to do something. I returned the question and they told us that they felt a strong desire to be outside. I immediately introduced the idea that we should go exploring and everyone agreed, the guy on the floor shot up from the floor and screamed “LET’S GO!”. The night was young and we set forth on an adventure less than half planned. We were going to go to the cave on campus :O. None of us had flashlights but we didn’t need them, the moon was high in the sky and so bright that it lit the path all the way through. When we got to the cave we had to use our phones, everything was pitch black inside but we were having a blast. Finally, we finished exploring inside the cave and decided it was time to head back out to the world. We walked our new acquaintances back to their dorms and my friend and I parted ways. When I got back home it was almost 5am and I was EXHAUSTED to say the least but it was all worth it. Even though I never saw those two explorers again I knew that all four of us shared an experience together of a life time.    

Some of the best adventures are spontaneous and risky, but that’s the best part about them. We need to be more spontaneous, life is short and we never know when we will seize to exist. Don’t let let life happen to you, make life happen! One of the most fulfilling experiences one could go through is to feel alive, filled with enough adrenaline to take over the world. Take chances and see where life takes you and what it has to offer you. Feel ALIVE! DARE TO BE ALIVE >:D If you haven’t felt scared shitless or excited beyond belief, you haven’t lived yet. Don’t be afraid to feel emotions and don’t let your fear of the unknown prevent you from living life to the fullest.

Ask yourself this, when was the last time you took a trip to the beach? When was the last time you went star gazing? When was the last time you tried something new? When was the last time you said ‘fuck it! I’m going to drop everything I’m doing so I can do what I want!” Now ask yourself, Why? … What is preventing you from taking a spontaneous trip down adventure lane? Part of living life is about experiencing the unknown and taking risks. You will accumulate so many meaningful memories that in the end you can say it was all worth it.

Instead of spending money on a bunch of designer clothes, designer shoes, designer bags, expensive jewelry, spend it on experiences. Those materialistic “things” won’t help you grow as person nor will they help broaden your perspective and they won’t give you something to share with the world. You can’t say much about a designer bag other than how much it costs, whereas when you talk to someone about an adventure, there are endless stories and make for intriguing conversation. There’s nothing wrong with designer items but I personally do not find them very interesting.

Enough about bags back to the topic. One day you and I will die and that is the sad truth. When you have memories of well lived moments with people you love, it fills you and helps to complete you. People aren’t going to remember you for the ‘bling’ you wore, they will however, remember the experiences they shared with you. So, find a group of people that you know you will have a great time with … and do something adventurous, planned or unplanned, just go outside and have a great time. Make your life what you want it to be.

Live life don’t just exist.  

Check Into Reality

I have heard people say over and over that they do not know what they would do without technology, but hey, guess what? There was a time when such luxuries did not exist, there is more to life than having the newest smartphone, or knowing who posted what on Facebook. Go outside, go for a walk, read a book, jog, write, breathe.

I, myself, am guilty of this. Every morning the first thing I reach for is my phone (partly because that is my alarm clock). This then leads me to check my email, and other social media, my day starts out with a BIG dose of technology when I have not even washed the crusties out of my eyes. This sets the tone for the rest of my day.

We need cut back on the amount we are checking out of reality and checking in to technology. I am not saying that technology is a bad thing. There are many benefits that we have gained from technology, but we need to check into reality more often.

We are social creatures, we need human interaction, and having a conversation with another being is the best way to get it. I have come to a realization that I need to make a change in my life, and I know I am not alone.I feel like I can only have a conversation with someone through text message, or social media. Having a face to face conversation is hard to come by these days.

I have made a change in my life to check into reality more. On the days I do not go to work I take my dog out for a walk, and the only thing I take with me is my phone (in case of an emergency). This is an hour of my day for me to take in the fresh air and unwind.There is a pond where I take my dog, and sometimes I like to sit and listen. Hearing the running water, the ducks and people walking by makes me realize how much life there is.

The other day on my walk I witnessed the moment when a father successfully taught his little girl how to ride her bike. I saw as he gave her her final push, and he just watched her ride down the sidewalk with a big grin on his face, the grin of accomplishment. He turned around and began to walk the other direction, but he was still looking back to make sure she was ok when she realized that he was not holding her bike any more.

I also got to witness a man walking with a blind woman, he was telling her about their surroundings, describing the colors in the sunset, giving imagery to the two little ducks that crossed their path. The best part was the huge smile on the woman’s face. The man was putting so much thought into what he was saying to her that she knew that the warmth that she was feeling was from the setting sun, and that the woman who just passed them was walking a small white dog.

It was truly amazing that I had the opportunity to witness these events just outside my front door. I would not have been able to be apart of those events if I was looking at my phone.

We are already so busy in our lives that we do not take time to appreciate the small things, and if we are looking at our smartphones, those small things just pass us by.

Everyone has their own way of expressing themselves. I enjoy going on walks but you could also read a good book, or go for a jog, write or talk to someone new. The point is to step out of our smartphones and into our lives.

~Check out of technology, and check into your reality.