My definition of adventure

First, I'll tell you what adventure isn't.

Adventure isn't dangerous
I've always been a risk taker, but I limit myself to calculated risks. I'm 53 years old and have never broken a bone. The thought of breaking a bone scares the heck out of me, so I tend to be careful when taking risks. Classic example: riding motorcycles (future blog post)

Adventure isn't a death wish
Too many people think of adventure as doing something daring and risky or that adventure is something you have to travel to do. WRONG. Adventure is my lifestyle. I wake up every day looking forward to my next adventure and dread the thought of going to bed without having had one.

What is adventure? It's my lifestyle.

When I taught school in Paradise, Michigan (yes Virginia, there really is a town named Paradise), I was introduced to the Bay Area Adventure School in Traverse City. My first visit was with a friend and teaching colleague named Jay Alton. I felt such a rush and felt so alive that day on the ropes course.

I learned that the ropes course is a metaphor for life. On the ropes course you always wear safety equipment that includes a climbing harness, double belay ropes, and a helmet - this is your "support system". In real life, you have an equally effective support system by way of your family, friends, colleagues and peers.

The first time I tried to jump into a cargo net from a wooden platform while I was 30 feet in the air, I was scared to death. They were only 6 feet apart, but that didn't matter. I was wearing my climbing harness, secured to a 1/2 inch steel cable above me by two industrial strength belay ropes, and in my logical, rational, problem solving mind, I was absolutely positive that there was no way that I could fall to the ground.

Even if I didn't land in the cargo net (which I probably could just have fallen into), I would have simply been left hanging from above in my harness and could have easily shimmied back to the wall or net, depending on which I was closest to. Before we went up in the air, we even practiced falling off a 3 foot tall platform with our harness and gear on so we would know what it felt like to be caught by your safety gear.

My knees were knocking. My heart was pounding. Everyone was watching. I couldn't make my body do it. My innate self preservation instincts were preventing my body from doing what my brain was telling it to. I began to question myself and wondered just who or what was controlling my body.

Then, 30 feet below me, I could hear Jay telling me that I really could do it. I heard my wife and kids encouraging me. I took deep breaths, closed my eyes, and suddenly realized a truth that has stayed with me since. The ability to control my body was inside me, all I had to do was reach out and grab it. I call this the "it's all between your ears" effect.

Jay told me that this was the first time he had seen this side of me. I laughed and asked if I could do it again.

I was hooked. I was an adventure junkie. It didn't matter what it took, I had to have more. I took the training and got certified so I could share this experience with as many people as I could.

I started by taking students from my school and branched out to facilitating groups from neighboring school districts. I led activities for the NCAA champion hockey team at LSSU. These guys were world class athletes, but they still found ways to work together better by strengthening the trust between them. I also worked numerous corporate training events in Michigan as well.

The biggest eye opener was when we facilitated a group of incarcerated teens, most of them from inner city Detroit. I was a little scared at first, but gave it a try. The kids showed up on a prison bus wearing shackles, so they couldn't kill each other. We didn't know this at the time, but the person who selected the participants really wanted to see us fail so they sent us a 50/50 mix of rival gangs. There were as many armed staff as kids. We got off to a rocky start but by mid-afternoon they had become one. No one ever gave these kids an opportunity like this. They never knew the power hidden inside. They went back to jail higher than a kite that night, but I felt even higher because I facilitated what they discovered inside themselves.

Phew, all of this talk of adventure schools and ropes courses has got me wondering if I really shouldn't be seeking out a similar gig here in socal?

If I run short of other adventures, I'll have to look into that.