Adventure

Adventure:     The encountering of danger; an exciting and dangerous undertaking; an unusual, stirring experience, often of romantic nature; a liking for danger, excitement, etc.: as, he is full of adventure.


When I was drinking my life revolved around a series of dark bars with no windows, late at night, or dark apartments, with the blinds drawn, mesmerized by the flickering images on The TV.  If it was light outside, I was often asleep or suffering from the effects of too much alcohol and drugs.  It was quite surprising to find out there was a whole world out there.  It was quite stressful, too.  I didn't know how to do normal things.  I was very fearful of normal things.  Part of me wanted to be enveloped in the comforting dark, by myself or alone in a crowd, alone, alone, alone.


There's a story in our literature about a man who suffered a complete nervous breakdown because of his alcoholism.  He was literally so terrified he was unable to leave his house.  As he sobered up, he started to take little baby steps in the big, bad world.  He began by walking to the end of the block and back - that was all he could take at first.  Gradually, he took more and more chances until he was reintegrated back into sobriety.  He talked about how through a happy combination of time and some extra money he was able to start traveling again.  He confessed to getting into a huge uproar before he left, afraid, not wanting to leave, but always enjoyed himself once he got under way.


I like this story.  It seems to encourage me to take some chances.  Not get drunk and jump off the top of a bridge into a fast moving river on a dare kind of chances, but good, get out there and live a full life kind of chances.  I still wish I could get some kind of upfront guarantee before I try something new or go somewhere I've never been but I wish for all kinds of stuff that I don't get.  


I say: Go take the plunge.  It's worth it.


On one of my many adventures, I flew from Istanbul into Damascus, Syria in the middle of the night.  My buddy and I took a taxi from the airport into the city; the driver didn't speak any English and drove his Mercedes cab about 90 MPH right down the middle of the deserted freeway, with his lights out.  I thought: "WTF?  I'm going to die here."  It was beyond stressful.


Of course, it ended up being a vacation that I treasure more than just about any vacation I've ever taken.  I admit that I may . . . MAY . . . have pushed my comfort level a little too far on this one, but what an adventure!  What a trip!  I got to sit in the middle of the full boil of one of the oldest cities in the world, smoking a hookah and drinking tea, watching the world stream by.  Wouldn't change it for anything.  Was it fun?  Absolutely.  Was it stressful?  That's not a strong enough word to describe what it was like.