That was a thought process that maybe I'd never consciously ran through, but certainly shaped my pretty average, comfortable life. I went to school until I stopped, and then started working for the Boy Scouts of America. I was pretty overweight, slightly depressed, and fine with it. I had a routine, and went through it. Work, scouts, choir, chores, rinse, repeat. Even when I started dabbling my feet into adventure, I didn't realize.
On September 26th, 2015 I first went out to a local park to start climbing. I'd just gotten back from working a summer camp (Program Director for the local council's Cub Camps) and from visiting some good friends at my home camp in New Hampshire, and was fed up with...something. So I started the way anyone starts without a teacher, gym, chalk, shoes, or anything: I started just scrambling up thinks I could make it up, and bailing on things that seemed too hard. Sounds like maybe I was being adventurous, but I hadn't realized it yet
It wasn't until October of the next year that the idea of adventuring even crosses my mind. I had a free Saturday, and decided to head to Hammond Pond, a good 5 mile hike from my house, to check out the Rock there, as I'd heard that there was climbing and bouldering there. I hiked, scrambled, did some climbing, and the hashtag I came up with from that for insta was #hammondpondadventure. For the first time in quite some time, I'd done something new, experienced an exciting shift from my routine. And that's the heart of adventure. And more than excitement, it provided meaning. My attempts at climbing (bolstered by a camp alumni donating me a pair of used climbing shoes), my hiking and exercising, and my attempts to instill discipline into my life choices led to this. I needed to be fit and brave and disciplined enough to be go on these adventures. I ended up climbing with friends at Red Rock in Gloucester, the Quincy Quarries, Rumney, and Mount Washington, but I get ahead of myself
By November 2016, I was using #adventure in many of my posts. As I went about my routine, I would take 10-15 minute detours to check out a cool looking rock formation, or hike a few blocks instead of catching a bus. Over the next months, I started doing this as frequently as I could, and by March 26th, 2017, I had a ready-made hashtag #dailyadventure. When I shifted my routine, out popped the hashtag. However, it didn't seem quite right, and on May 26st, I swapped the word order, and #adventuredaily was first used.
What's the difference? a #dailyadventure is a thing. Maybe it happens, maybe it doesn't. Either way, you didn't necessarily work for it, make the time for it, search for it. #Adventuredaily is imperative; a command to be followed. Be proactive, find the adventure in your everyday life. It's there for the taking, if you have the willpower to resist routine. Once I started trying to adventure daily, I noticed something. Everything I did had room for adventure. Maybe I'm climbing in my old, favorite spot. A routine activity. Break. It. Open. Try something new, walk 5 more minutes, challenge yourself.
