How do you start a new adventure? A life adventure of a different kind. Many years ago I started the adventures of study, new friendships, career, marriage and children. Learning, adapting, sharing, caring, listening, juggling and so much more. I suppose this creates the adult you will be, and who you want to be. It’s an adventure that gives so much and throws many obstacles at you along the way. Where is the guide book for life? The generations before us must provide this role and we can only hope we absorb the best information. Raising children lets us have a glimpse into the past, allowing us to see how we were raised and how things evolve. The largest part of my adventure so far has been trying to get the parenting role right for my children – hope I passed! I love what you get back from this as a family bond. Throughout the good there is also the bad and sometimes tragic life events that knock you down. These mould you in a different way and make you question so much of what you already know, or thought you did. Thank goodness for happy adventures.
Whilst some of this adventure continues it is also changing. How do you make a new adventure after building a career and raising a family? I am not so keen on the term “empty nest” as thankfully they keep coming home! The washing basket still gets filled and the fridge raided. Something new has to begin. Maybe I could write a story?
When my children were young we would read stories, especially at bedtime. Their favourite stories though were often the adventures I made up. For some reason, the worries from the day always came out at bedtime for my children. I invented two characters and would take them on a journey which had some similarities to the anxieties my children were experiencing that day. Quite often the adventures for my characters would begin in school, setting a familiar scene. I would then take them and my children on an adventure that, whilst maybe calmed their anxieties, did little to put them to sleep. I learnt to quickly adapt a story as it went along as thoughts and ideas sprung to mind or questions would be asked along the way. They always wanted more! I still have ideas for my characters and maybe one day they could be more than imaginary.
In the meantime travel has to be the way to go I think! Like me, my husband is ready for his next adventure and we need to explore. So many of us are ready for adventure after being grounded for so long during the pandemic. Where to begin?