Adventure #1: Spend Saturday biking around Santa Ynez wine country? Sure, why not.
My darling friend, Libby Senna, and I have engaged in a blog challenge. We picked seven random topics and must write about all of them within a two-week period. It doesn't matter which days we write, necessarily; rather, we just have to get the posts done. It's supposed to be a lesson in accountability and conditioning. I hope that the challenge forces me to practice writing on a consistent basis, and that it encourages me to continue writing after we're through.
The first topic revolves around the issue of choosing a favorite quote. I think Libby and I both agree that selecting one phrase and titling it "favorite" would be impossible. Instead of trying to pick one thought, I'll choose a sentiment that I've been reflecting on recently.
I just finished Donald Miller's new book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. The book review will come in a separate post (whenever I get back to THAT blog idea...hopefully this challenge will also serve to inspire me to continue reviewing literature) since I don't have the time to write about it now, nor have I been able to accurately assess how I feel about the piece in its entirety. Regardless of my thoughts about the story as a whole, there were some passages that really jumped out at me because of how strongly they related to my current stage of life.
The book is about storytelling, and about how we are essentially responsible for creating our own stories. God gives us the tools to make our own decisions and though He knows the outcome of our choices, He offers us the opportunity to live our best life, should we be up to the challenge. The following quote from Miller's book really stood out to me for the way it encourages readers to embark upon adventurous, life-changing journies:
- We have to get up off the couch and turn the television off, we have to blow up the inner-tubes and head to the river. We have to write the poem and deliver it in person. We have to pull the car off the road and hike to the top of the hill. We have to put on our suits, we have to dance at weddings.
This is something that I have found to be so true, and I'm thankful that Miller's words reminded me of this sentiment. I'd like to believe that I have an adventurous spirit, which I'll attribute to my friendship with Erin Macdonald. When I came to Pepperdine as a freshman in 2004, Erin and I cemented the foundation of a friendship that will only continue to flourish and grow. Though we were raised in Wheaton together (and made many hilarious memories growing up), it was at Pepperdine that we became as close as we are today. So much of that is due to the way Erin's outgoing and thrill-seeking personality affected me and shaped my character. She taught me the importance of walking through every figurative (and sometimes literal) open door, whether that's achieved by accepting an invitation to attend a barbecue on the beach or it's just the decision to dive into the ocean, fully-clothed, after a good run. Since then, I've always attempted to invest in the opportunities presented to me, as large or small as they may seem. Weekend trips, semesters abroad, living situations, afternoons outdoors, and impromptu vacations have all been decided upon based on my inability to refuse to accept anything less than extreme. Sometimes that gets me in trouble; other times it allows me to continue walking (or sometimes sprinting) down the path that Christ has set before me.
This isn't to say that I'm great at being adventurous or outgoing; to be sure, I fail at achieving that goal on days when I just can't get myself together. The point is, as Miller's quote reminded me, a journey-seeking life is one that I should be attempting to live. God gave us the tools to write amazing stories. He's asking us to intertwine the concepts of mystery, suspense, adventure, comedy, faith, and (only sometimes) drama in order to structure a story so great that we praise the One who gave us the resources to live it.
As Miller pointed out, God is not a puppeteer who controls our every action. Instead, He patiently waits for us to discover the loveliness of life on our own, allowing us to stand in awe of what He has created. He quietly encourages us to take part in the moments worth remembering. Maybe that's done by choosing to live in a trailer park in Malibu, or by deciding to eat only frozen yogurt for lunch...or breakfast. Maybe that's accomplished by taking impromptu trips up to Point Dume to photograph the sunset, or by buying a flight to Denver to visit an old friend. Maybe that's achieved through watching a foreign film, or by sweating through a Bikram yoga class. However it's done, the goal is to explore the beauty that exists in everyday moments. In coffee. In sunrises. In loft apartments. In fried cookie dough. In service trips. Equally in the great as in the small. And the whole time, being cognizant (that's for you, John Joyce) of the Creator who made it all, reveling in the treasures set out before us solely so that we can reciprocate by offering praise to the One who loves us most.
Throughout this post, I've thrown in some photos from some of my favorite spontaneous adventures. Some are huge choices or events while other decisions or happenings may appear small. Yet they all comprise memories that are essential to my very being, components that have aligned themselves to create Rachel's story.
Adventure #2: Going to Ghana after meeting Pam Cope resulted in passion, purpose, and, ultimately, a career with Touch A Life.
Adventure #3: Lunching with Miss Erin Macdonald, the teacher herself. I mean, why not go to Malibu hot spot, Geoffrey's, for two meals in a row? The restaurant boasts the best view in town as well as the tastiest crab cakes on the coast.
Adventure #4: A Memorial Day Weekend to be remembered: San Jose del Cabo 2009. A trip that was once dreamed of eventually came to reality, thanks to everyone's desire to reunite from all around the country and seek out adventure.
Adventure #5: Redefining the lunch break at White Rock Lake Park in Dallas (my new hometown), camera in hand.
Adventure #6: New Year's Eve 2009 in Nashville with Carter. Such an impromptu decision turned into a weekend of good food, great dance moves, and the best time spent catching up with friends.
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