What happened to the days of adventure? Those summer days as a kid where the only time you were home was for breakfast, dinner and bed? Where the sun was your clock and sun down meant be home before it was too late. Those days where kids actually played outside. Your imagination was your source of entertainment, pick up games of ball with the neighborhood kids was your gaming system and it was alright for young men to get in trouble for acting like a boy and not be given a title of hyper active, A.D.D or A.D.H.D.
Those days of old where the ice cream truck was driven by a cute college girl that as a young man you could only dream of one day having as your girlfriend. The days where you rode your bike outside, sought out adventure and some days even got dirty.
Just the other day the ice cream truck drove by and I was excited to see the beautiful college coed, but it was a middle aged, over weight balding guy. When you want to turn on the TV for some music you no longer turn to MTV - Music Television - you must order MTV 2 or MTV 3 for that, and on the topic of television there is no longer history on the History Channel; that's what H2 is for now. Ball fields have grow dustier and not because the drought, but because of the dust piled up due to the lack of use. The newest item added to the endangered species list is adventure, soon to be followed by imagination.
My point is this, we as a society seem to lack that drive for adventure. Nearly 81% of all high school age girls own a Northface jacket and 95% of college girls own two of the same style, but I'm willing to bet if you polled the adventure-wannabees less than a quarter of them actually do anything physical outside in the cold months (all statistics are made up and based off years in ministry and attending a private college).
The only mountains we seem to climb are the mountain of files piling up on our desks and the stack of bills at home. Our only escape away from the stresses of being an adult is plopping down and watching "reality" TV that is anything but reality. We gawk over shows on the travel channel with beautiful white sandy beeches on exotic islands, we DVR episodes of house hunters to see the houses we'll never own, we fantasize of adventures involving fighting bad guys or romanticize of finding the love of our lives by watching a chick flick or newest Stallone movie. But most of us never experience any of it, because we're plugged into either a computer, a phone, an iPad or some other electrical device that has become our life. We've lost our will to truly live life and seek out adventure. We've stopped listening to the inner child that has, for years, been screaming for your attention.
In Ecclesiastes 3: 1-13 is says: “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. A time to give birth, and a time to die; A time to heal; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…I recognized that there is nothing better than to rejoice and to do well during life — (for) this is a gift of God (paraphrased).”
Just over a week ago I lost my brother. He died from what we believe was a heart attack. In all the pain of what has happened I realized he taught me a great lesson on how to live life. It wasn't until an uplifting conversation with my spiritual director and hours of discernment as I began writing a eulogy for his funeral that I listened to his message.
He taught that if you’re unhappy with where your life is heading and have become beaten down by it's draining ways, life’s way too short, each day too precious, to allow it to slip from your grasp and prevent you from doing the things you want most. He did just that. The last year of his life he gave up his job, moved out of his home and left town just to travel, to seek out adventure.
He took time to do the things he wanted to do before he died. Against the judgement, and opinions, of my Dad and other loved ones in his life he did as much as he could, knowing that he was young and that he didn't know when his time would come. And in my humble opinion, there is no more righteous of a way to leave this place. For I believe with all the love in my heart, he is sitting up in those pearly gates of Heaven smiling, watching down on us and saying… “I ate and I drank and I enjoyed all the good of all of life’s toil...(for) this is a gift of God and I lived it until my final days." He recognized that there was nothing better, nothing that made him more glad than to live life well (paraphrased Ecclesiastes 3: 1-13).
Quoting Emilio Estevez, the Mighty Duck man himself: "You don't choose a life; you live one." Start living yours today. Climb those mountains. Unplug yourself from electronics and plug yourself into adventure. Seek out those white sandy beaches only a Sandals commercial can bring you. Travel to far off lands to eat those disgusting dishes those guys on the food network bring you. Begin living your life today and worry about tomorrow as it comes to you.
Until next time...
