365

Something to pass on. Something good. Adventurous spirit. Happiness. Courage. Respect. Standing Up. Kindness. A Sense of Humor. Thankfulness. Endless Love. What do these words mean to me? What do these words mean to you? The answer may differ based on circumstances, time of year, or feelings. How does one pass on an adventurous spirit? Be adventurous. Examples of adventure (again, subjective from person to person.) One person may believe a trip to a Farmer's Market is adventurous, while another person may find that much more like an average day. Merriam Webster defines adventure as: "an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks." Yes, that is a definition I agree with. Unknown Risk. Uncertainty. Well, that could be everyday life, couldn't it? Yes. One of my adventures for this week involves the end of some old relationships only, I thought the relationships had ended long ago. There are some unknowns in this situation. Another adventure of the week involves taking a few teenagers camping. I do not think of myself as 'old.' I was a teenager not very long ago. I think I can relate to teenagers fairly reasonably based on that fact alone. I want to have fun. I want to take some risks. I want to watch people succeed with the risky goals undertaken. I miss just loading up in my gas-guzzling truck and taking off, possibly not having a plan as to a destination but always with a tent and a few bucks. This idea seems very risky, unreasonable, and dangerous to (some) people. So risky, unreasonable, and dangerous to some in fact, I have been talked out of doing it. Let's skip to the end so I can ramble about endless love. A never ending intense feeling of affection, agan based on Merriam Webster's definition. For such a thing to endure takes a great deal of dedication. Everyday dedication. From ALL the people involved. I think there must be give and take of devotion and appreciation from ALL involved. Some people are naturally care givers. Some people are not care givers at all. All these people exist together. And here I am existing. Not feeling a balance, attempting endless love. So let's have a bit of a log of demonstrations of Adventurous Spirit, Happiness, Courage, Respect, Standing Up, Kindness, a Sense of Humor (please let me demonstrate that one!) and Endless Love. All these words are present in actions in my life, and thus in the lives, and actions of my family everyday as we influence one another. Adventurous spirit. Everyday is an adventure. An adventure to find ways to be my best version of me, and help others be them best selves. Today's adventure is coloring one child's hair red, building a massive Lego tower (among other things) with one, riding bikes with one, and planning a camping trip with one. I watch each day as each of the amazing young people I am privileged to share time and space with, embark on personal adventures which do not directly include me. I wonder if I can help. Sometimes the best help I can give, is to butt out. Sometimes, it is to butt right in. All this butting leads me to conduct science experiments at any time. I seek out simple and complex explanations for each experiment, read them, take the explanations apart, and put them back together in a new way as I understand the explanations. I have determined that in the morning, I will be doing an experiment in which I make plastic. Chemistry! FUN! I am also placing a large piece of butcher paper on the wall for everyone in the house to make observations of one another's displays of kindness. I think my family is very kind, and I want to see if they agree. I am classifying this as 'Good Citizenship.' We are also currently reading 'American History Stories...You Never Read in School...but should have' by Mara L. Pratt, M.D. for a traditional view, 'Above All, Be Kind' by Zoe Weil for a humanitarian world view, and 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' by Douglas Adams as suggested by some friends, for fun. These things make me happy. I love to experiment, and read, and share as much as I can with the people around me that are interested. Sometimes, it takes courage just to do these simple things. I am thankful for the capability to pursue my personal passions as I encourage others to try to do the same. Have courage to explore passion.