Category: Examples

Featuring YOU!

1 Comment

Would you like to be featured on Adventure-Some? Now’s your chance!

I want to write about more daily adventurers. Do you do something on a regular basis that people seem to be amazed by? Are you undertaking (or getting ready to) some grand adventure? I want to help you share what you do, in order to inspire others.

Perhaps you don’t feel particularly adventurous yourself, but you know someone else who fits that description. Let me know about them, and I’ll see about featuring them.

Ideally, I would like to make this a regular feature here on the blog. Once a month, once a week, feature a fellow adventurer. So I’m hoping for a good response to this post!

Shoot me an email and let me know what kind of daily adventure you have in your life. If you are chosen, we’ll conduct an interview and you will have your own post here on Adventure-Some!

Adventurer Interview

2 Comments

I follow quite a few blogs, covering a number of different topics. Today I thought I’d share one of them with you:

Abby Sunderland is 16, and as of right now, is somewhere in the South Atlantic Ocean (you can see where here.) She’s currently just over three months into her solo circumnavigation of the world via sailboat. Due to electrical complications, she’ll have to land soon to get her navigation system fixed, but she will continue on to finish circling the world. She may not manage to complete it non-stop, or be the youngest to do so (initial goals) but she will continue on to complete her ultimate goal.

How amazing! I don’t have the confidence in my boating skills to cross an ocean, much less any knowledge of sailing at all! I’m thoroughly impressed, not only with her abilities and confidence at 16, but also with the maturity of her decisions (such as deciding to come in to get her navigator fixed and forfeiting an initial goal).

Read more about Abby’s adventure:
Her blog.
Her official website.
See where she is.
Watch some interviews with Abby.

Make Someone’s Day

3 Comments

Yesterday on the radio, the hosts gave the advice to try and “overwhelm someone with kindness.” This got me thinking, how would I even do such a thing? One listener called in and gave an example, as it happened to her.

My boss asked if I had been able to get my flat tire plugged yet. When he found out that I hadn’t, I had to wait until my paycheck later in the week, he took my car to the tire service on his lunch break. When I came out after work, I discovered that I had four new tires!

What an amazing story! I find that it is far harder to remember to look for opportunities to help someone than it is to actually do it.

While in Texas over Christmas break, my wife and I were in the store. We ended up in line behind a woman with a full cart, while we waited to purchase our single item. As she was finishing, the woman noticed that we had only one thing and said that we should have gone on ahead of her. We didn’t mind, and she had already begun loading the conveyor before we got in line. To make up for it, she insisted on paying for our purchase, adding it to her order. Despite our protests, she payed.

That small item cost her an extra $3 and 10 seconds, but it made us happy for two days as we recounted the story. I’m smiling as I type this, remembering it.

It’s easy to make someone’s day, especially in today’s society. You don’t even have to go out of your way, simply look for the opportunities that are already around you. How can you overwhelm someone today?

Working In San Antonio

1 Comment

[singlepic id=123 w=320 h=240 float=none]One of the items on my 2010 Action Plan was to head to San Antonio during Spring Break with the Cats for Christ ministry. My wife and I did exactly that, and spent a wonderful week working with Urban Connection.

Our trip started off on a less-than-ideal footing, when our ride to the airport didn’t show up. Fortunately, we were able to drive ourselves and make it on time with little inconvenience. We arrived safely in San Antonio and settled into our hotel rooms.

Sunday after church, we headed to Sea World for a fun-filled afternoon. This was my first visit to Sea World, and I had a fabulous time! The shows were great, and it’s always interesting to see exotic animals. We even got to ride some rides, and managed to stay dry the whole time!

[singlepic id=122 w=320 h=240 float=none]Monday through Friday, we got up early and headed over to Urban Connection. We were waiting when the kids arrived, and helped serve them breakfast. After breakfast was craft time, with a new project every day. Then they wore us out in the gym, so that we thoroughly enjoyed our break when it was time for lunch*. After lunch, we were in charge of the activities, and planned different games or crafts each day**. The childrens’ parents came and picked them up about 3. After they left, we headed back to the Urban Connection offices and rolled up our sleeves for some painting and construction projects.

[singlepic id=124 w=320 h=240 float=none]In the evenings, we generally stayed in the hotel, worn out from a day of playing and work. One night we headed downtown to the riverwalk and to see the Alamo. (Everyone was right, don’t make the Alamo the highlight of a trip.) We had some great mexican food that evening, and after dinner I flat out hurt from laughing so hard. We all had a great time, sharing stories over wonderful food.

Friday afternoon saw a few tears being shed, as we parted ways with our new-found friends. Though lots of pictures were taken, they don’t do those little guys justice! I know I’m missing my little buddy, Josh. He’s a great guy, and I can’t wait to seem him next year!

* Food

Robbie came with us and provided some meals. And boy did he do a good job! I’ve still got a couple of extra pounds that I need to get rid of! We ate breakfast at the hotel, then far too much delicious food for lunch, and then even more for supper. Whew!

The kids were on spring break, so Urban Connection provided lunch for them. We parted ways during lunch, which provided us with a much-needed break in the middle of the day. Robbie was fixing supper for us as we worked on the projects around the offices, so our work ended just as the food began.

** Crafts

Our group organized into smaller groups, with each small group in charge of the afternoon activities for a day. On our day, my group decided to go with a dodge-ball game and making sock puppets! We had a bit of trouble getting the glue to work (something about “let sit for at least 30 minutes” and excited 7 year olds just don’t go well together). In the end, though, everything worked out wonderfully, and the kids loved their puppets.

Coming home

Saturday morning we got to sleep in a bit later than normal before having a leisurely breakfast and heading to the airport. A couple of short flights later, and we were safely home again!

Though it was annoying at the time, having the car waiting for us at the airport worked out well; we were able to give a couple of friends a ride home, saving all of us the trouble of having to arrange rides home.

It was a wonderful week: full of friends, great food, and lots of fun. The children left an imprint on us, and we look forward to returning whenever possible.

Challenge Yourself

Leave a comment

Do you ever get bored with what you’re doing? Maybe it’s time to push yourself a bit further. Take on a challenge.

This challenge can be physical, mental, or spiritual, depending on what you need at the moment.

Here is my Challenge:

I just switched majors, from Accounting to Art Studio. (Yes, I know this is a bit of a jump, but it’s a change from something that will pay well to something that I actually enjoy.) In order to complete my degree in 4 years, including a Business Minor, I have to take a rather hefty course load. This semester I am signed up for 22 hours. (15 seems to be a common number, though I have not taken less than 16 thus far.)

I had an advisor tell me that you can’t take that many hours. Her response might have been similar if I had told her that I was going to the moon. “You CAN’T do that.” Which I found rather odd, since I have been signed up for the classes for about 6 months now, and she was the one who ok’d my schedule in the first place. 😀

I know this semester is going to be challenging, but I also know that I can do it if I manage my time well. If it turns out that for some reason I can’t, I still have a grace period of a couple weeks where I can drop some classes to a “normal” level with no repercussions.

So what about you?

What challenge are you going to take on? Push yourself (but leave an out if you need it).

Read Something Out of Your Comfort Zone

1 Comment

I am an avid reader (who has been frustratingly without time for pleasure reading here recently.) With a wide range of interests, I have far too many options when it comes time to choose the next books to read. Even with this many options, I frequently find myself reading similar types of material. In order to stretch myself, I try to peruse different “foreign” sections occasionally.

I am not a poetry reader (much less a writer… if I write it one should not be surprised when it starts with “roses are red, violets are blue”). However, sometimes an author or book will catch my eye and I’ll give it a try. Recently one did just that. After chasing the book down at the library I picked it up and have just begun reading it. For some reason, this poem caught my fancy.

Abecedary
By: Tom Disch
From: Yes, Let’s

A is an Apple, as everyone knows.
But B is a …. What do you suppose?
A Bible? A Barber? A Banquet? A Bank?
No, B is this Boat, the night that it sank.
C is its Captain, and D is its Dory,
While E – But first let me tell you a story.
There once was an Eagle exceedingly proud
Who thought it would fly, in the Form of a cloud —
Yes, E is for Eagle, and F is for Form,
And G is the Grass that got wet in the storm
When the cloud that the Egale unwisely became
Sprinkled our hero and all of his fame
Over ten acres of upland plateau.
So much for that story. Now H. Do you know?
H is the Hay that was made from the Grass,
And I’s the Idea of going to Mass,
Which is something that only a Catholic would do.
Jews go to Synagogue. J is a Jew.
K is for Kitchen as well as for Kiss,
While L is for all of the black Licorice
You can eat in an hour without feeling ill.
M is for Millipede, Millet, and Mill.
The first is an insect, the second a grain,
The third grinds the second: it’s hard to explain
Such a process to children who never have seen it —
So let’s go to the country right now! YEs, I mean it.
We’re leaving already, and N is the Night
We race through to reach it, while P is the Plight
Of the people (Remember?) who sailed in that Boat
That is still, by a miracle, somehow afloat!
(Oh dear, I’ve just noticed I’ve overlooked O:
O’s an Omission and really should go
In that hole – do you see it? – between N and P.
No? It’s not there now? Dear O, pardon me.)
Q is the Question of how far away
A person can travel in one single day,
And whether it’s worth it, or might it be better
To just stay at home and write someone a letter?
R’s are Relations, a regular swarm.
Now get out of the car – we’ve arrived at their farm!
S is the Sight of a Thanksgiving feast,
And T is the Turkey, which must weight at least
Thirty pounds. U is Utopia. V …
V simply Vanishes – where, we can’t see –
While W Waves from its Westernmost isle
And X lies exhausted, attempting to smile.
There are no letters left now but Y and then Z.
Y is for You, dear, and Z is for me.

—————————————–

Find something that is a bit out of your normal comfort zone and give it a try. You might just be pleasantly surprised by what you discover!

Creating a Clutter Free Desktop

1 Comment

I’ve got a lot going on right now, so I need to be able to focus. If you’ve spent any time around me, you know that I don’t do fixed focus and single-tasking very well. Indeed, as I write this I am sitting outside watching traffic go by, listening to the iPod and writing (all while avoiding studying for tomorrow’s exam). This is not my ideal productive state, though I do manage to get some quality work done in similar environments.

Every so often I head over to Leo Babauta’s Zen Habits and see what lifestyle goodness has been posted recently. The latest excursion resulted in a number of posts that I had to catch up on, including one on how to Create a Minimalist Computer Experience. Again, if you have ever seen me on a computer, I am anything but a minimalist. Right now I have three text documents open (one in notepad and two in Open Office’s Writer), one folder open (all 4 of those are for the studying I’m supposed to be doing), as well as three different instances of the Chrome web browser, with a total of 36 tabs open between them.

Up until about 10 minutes ago, my computer’s desktop was cluttered with icons, notes written to myself, todo lists, etc. I followed some of the directions in Leo’s post and immediately felt better. I took a few minutes to sort through the stuff that I had on my desktop; all but 4 of them were either combined, moved, or deleted. Of these 5, one will remain (the recycle bin) and the other 3 are the task lists for projects that I am currently working on.

While I loved my background photo (you can see it here under the “something feathery” category), not only was it quite busy but I’ve also had it for awhile now and was in the mood to change. (I have a small collection of potential background photos, just for when I want to switch it up a bit.) My new background is much more simple and relaxing.

I prefer to leave my start bar legible, because of the clock in the bottom right corner. I like a minimal number of programs running, and consider widgets to be programs. I already had some short cuts implemented, and have been using them for years now, so that advice was nothing new to me.

I haven’t taken the leap of letting Google Desktop index my computer. While I’m sure it would be handy, I just haven’t seen the need. I guess it’s just not my style.

That’s where I’m at thus far. I spent about 10 minutes making my desktop less cluttered, which immediately helped me relax a little. Because of that I can now focus on the tasks at hand and get some important things taken care of. Now I need to make myself study, and then I can spend focus on knocking out some of those tabs… cause I really do have too many open. 😀

Back in the Saddle

Leave a comment

Nope, it’s not horse-back riding… I’m back on my bicycle, and it feels good! (so long as the hill is not too steep or long, of course.)

Until about 4 days ago, I hadn’t ridden my bicycle since December. It’s kinda hard to pack a bicycle in a suitcase (especially since I don’t have a folding bike). I was bicycle-less while in Ireland, and again after returning; not that a bicycle would have done me much good during the hectic month or so of cross-country driving.

Now I’m getting back in the swing of things. Work is going strong, finals are coming to a close and school is starting back up. Since everything is ramping back up to full time, and my wife and I’s schedules do not quite coincide, the bikes are being put back into action.

While I am definitely not in the shape that I was back in December (oh how my legs scream on the hills!) it certainly feels good to be riding again. It’s only a matter of time until I get back in shape (and with the way my schedule’s looking… it’ll be a short time).

Not only is it nice to be back on the bike, but it’s also a step towards one of the goals on my list. Some daily riding with longer rides once a week will be the small stepping stones I need to take to get there.

What did you used to do that you miss? Why aren’t you doing it now? No good reason? Go, do it!

Take a Break

1 Comment

Sometimes you just need to take a break. Stop. Recharge.

Our hectic exam schedule (mentioned here) is nearly done, and we are going to celebrate tonight. No studying, no books, no work. We’re just going to relax, enjoy each others’ company and do nothing.

Do you need to take a break? Perhaps your fuse is getting a bit short, you find yourself disgruntled with part of your life, or everything just seems to be going by too fast. If so, you might be in need of a break.

Your break does not have to be a weekend road trip. It simply needs to be some time taken just for you, doing something that relaxes you. You might want to take a few hours to focus on your hobby, go for a hike, or simply take a nice hot bath with a good book. Whatever you choose, don’t worry about upcoming tasks. They will be waiting when you return, renewed and with more energy.

Take a break. Stop. Recharge!

Upgrade Your Daily Tasks

Leave a comment

Quill Pen Do you have tasks that you have to complete on a daily basis? Do you see them as boring, mundane tasks? You can make them more exciting.

This isn’t a post telling you to change your mindset, or your attitude. I’ll leave that to those who are better qualified. This post outlines a simple method to upgrade your daily tasks from mundane to interesting, if not flat-out exciting.

Let’s take writing as an example. We all have to write, even if it is just to make out a grocery list or jot down a phone number. This oft-done chore can be seen as nothing more than that. However, with a simple upgrade in my materials, I have turned writing down any mundane piece of information into a pleasure.

-que lights & music- Enter the fountain pen. No, I’m not using a quill as seen in the above photo (though once I find a suitable feather, I do plan on making one). I purchased a $5.99 Pilot Plumix from Target (you can see it below). It was a cheap and quick upgrade for my everyday writing requirements. Exactly what I needed.

Quill Pen

This little pen has injected some excitement into my writing. It doesn’t matter if I am making out a todo list (of which I have many), taking inventory at work or writing a note for my wife, I enjoy the writing process. I try not to write as fast so that I can enjoy what I am doing, which has also pleasing side-effect of improving the legibility of my handwriting.

While doing research into the various pens that are out there, I have stumbled across various examples of others’ handwriting. Some of these are absolutely gorgeous! They have inspired me to work on consciously improving my script as well. I have long wanted to do so, but never wanted to sit down and do the necessary work. Now that I look forward to writing, spending time doing drills will not be so bad, and will ultimately help me enjoy the process even further.

What can you upgrade in your daily life to make it seem like less of a chore? Maybe fountain pens aren’t your thing (I tried a rollerball pen the other day and loved it!). Perhaps a new kitchen knife that better fits your hand would help you enjoy prepping food when cooking, or a more comfortable seat would make you more inclined to ride your bicycle. Pay attention as you go about your tasks today and see what you don’t like to do. Whatever it is, determine why you don’t like it and see how you can upgrade your tasks!