Hannah thinks there is much to be said for planning adventures.
A friend of mine has just bought a tent. It is a lightweight single-person tent of the type you could definitely carry with you on an overnight – or multi-day – adventure. What is significant about this is that she is the mother of two small children. This tent will definitely not accommodate the children – or her partner. This is not just a tent, it’s a statement of intent. This is a purchase that says ‘I’m having some alone time’, or ‘I’m going out, I may be some time’.
I wholeheartedly support this purchase. I think that space and time for yourself is a very good thing, and an ‘all-in, gear-geek, best functionality money can buy’ purchase is a great way to claim it and set yourself up for the future. This is a purchase that says ‘I am going on adventures’.
Not that all adventures should happen alone – there is much to be said for having someone to share both the magical moments and the misery. But whether solo or accompanied, a step outside the usual routine and into the unknown is invigorating. The process of exploring, problem-solving, and thinking your way through the day kicks you out of autopilot and into the present. Actions become conscious, decisions are taken with purpose and differences are noticed. We follow new paths with wonder and curiosity as our thoughts leave their usual entrenched routines and branch out into tendrils of exploration.
You don’t have to head to the furthest reaches of the world to switch off autopilot. Simply commuting the long way round, taking a new route for an evening ride, or heading to a different trail centre for a weekend can give your cells a jiggle and cast things in a fresh light. Have a think about what would shake you from your groove. Is it just being organised enough to pack your bag the night before work so you’ve got an extra half hour to ride in? Maybe you need a new tool – like a tent, or a sleeping bag – to help you stretch your time away into an overnight outing. Perhaps you just need to book a day off work and go for it – somewhere, anywhere… Buy a map and find a square where you haven’t been.
Whether it’s a single-person tent or just a change of mindset, don’t wait for adventure to come to you – all too often that might be an ordeal, or a trial… a sort of Type 2 Adventure. Make a statement of intent, set off, and see where the road takes you.
