Who Wants to Go to the Park?
My dogs pretend not to understand English. If they don’t feel like doing something, they simply sigh with a dismissive look that says, “who are you, and how did you get in here?” But, mention the word “outside” or “park,” and suddenly they have a full and complete grasp of the language. They don’t even have to waste any time thinking about it. “Let’s go. Get that harness. Come on! What are you waiting for? Chop! Chop!”
When someone asks me if I want to go outside, or go to the park, or go really anywhere, I often respond with a blank stare, appearing as if I might not understand the language. But, in my case, I’m only frozen in indecision. I get stuck, afraid of making the wrong choice. Because I don’t know what I want. Shouldn’t I know by now what I want? Shouldn’t I have a sense of what I value in life?
What exactly do I value? I’m glad you asked. Because I’ve been working on myself in therapy, thinking about these kinds of questions. In fact, I made a list of values that resonate for me, which includes what you might expect: love, creativity, etc... but I surprised myself by including adventure.
Do I really want adventure when it takes me fifteen minutes to pick a cheeseburger from the menu? I have to admit that I get comfort from routine. I like knowing what I can expect from each day. But, now I have to add in room for adventure? What did I really mean by adventure?
I’m glad you continue to ask these questions that I just coincidentally want to answer. I can tell you that I’m not that excited by the notion of climbing a mountain, or jumping out of planes. Instead, I’ll share the highlights of one particular super vacation as an example, jam-packed with a series of mini-adventures over the course of a summer...
Logistics: I enjoy coordinating complex schedules and bringing order to chaos, which also helps me relive Tetris glory days with a calendar.
Country Chow: LA to NY on the road with our first chow chow Goldie gave us both plenty of walks in the breath-taking mountains, deserts, forests, fields, and parks along the way. She didn’t seem to care too much the locale, but the smells were the real adventure for her.
City Chow: Chows instinctively crave a perimeter to patrol, so the endless buildings of Manhattan fueled her for several blocks, until we both started to realize... umm... no grass anywhere? Lucky for us, we found Central Park, where she could enjoy grassy hills and squirrels, but be careful of the squirrels that seem to have lost their bushy tails.
Screening Series: The freelance job involved managing the first Variety Screening Series in New York City at the DGA theatre, featuring awards contenders with Q&As. Good times in the Big Apple.
My So-Called First Feature: My first attempt at the behemoth structure of a feature film writing failed that summer, because I had no idea what I was doing yet, but that’s generally how that adventure begins.
The East Coast Experience: Staying at my friend’s house on Long Island was its own mini-vacation, followed by several weeks in New Jersey, where my wife worked on her Master’s. I could relive my college days without having to attend any classes! We rented an empty house with her friends, scavenging free furniture via the local Curb-alerts, and sleeping on the floor because no one wants a used Curb-alert mattress.
When the summer ended, it was time to get back to a routine and get me some of that regular employment again. The trip resulted in many unique and fantastic experiences, the kind I could not have planned.
Looking back, Goldie already knew how to balance routine and adventure. All our chow chows understood the magic formula for living their best lives: Simply don’t think too hard about it. Break routine when the opportunity presents itself, and smell all the smells along the way.