Lifestyle

Make Every Moment An Adventure!

This new year, I think we should all seek to create lots of adventures, lots of smiles, lots of memories, and lots of experiences. At the surface, this seems expensive and overwhelming, but I want to assure you that it does not have to be. You can create small and exciting adventures a part of your life each week. One word allows this; perspective.

Take a weekend trip.  Find a town in your state that you haven’t explored and plan a getaway. What you spend is completely your choice and is adaptable to many budgets. For example, last fall Bryan and I decided to meet halfway between him and I. This happened to be right over the Mackinaw Bridge in a small town called St. Ignace. We booked a cheap hotel and met up. While visiting, we spontaneously decided to take a trip to Mackinaw Island. The total expenses for the trip were not too high, individually, and was completely worthwhile. Grab some friends and plan your small getaway.

Make errands across town worthwhile. On a smaller scale, you can be taking a needed errand to a town in your state, and turn it into an adventure. Last summer, I drove about 2 hours north to Kalkaska for a family reunion with Bryan. We knew if we kept driving another 45 minutes, we would hit a popular tourist destination, Traverse City. We researched and found there were several wineries in the area and that was all I needed to hear to decide it was a must see. After the reunion, we kept driving and spent the late afternoon and evening enjoying various wines and each others company. It was a small adventure that was so easy since we were already so close.

Explore something specific. Your town has to have a plethora of something. Maybe, lots of people do pizza by you. Maybe it is ice cream or coffee. Whatever it is, find it and explore it. My dad and my brother have created their Taco Tour where they explore various restaurants serving tacos in an attempt to find the best. It is a fun way to connect with each other, but also, to explore the community. Skip Qdoba… embark on a taco tour with your friends.

Walk along a beach or park. By living in Michigan, I am spoiled because I am surrounded by beaches. This can be a great adventure, no matter what time of year. If not a beach, then possibly a state park with trails. Whether you grab your flip-flops and shorts, or your snow pants and boots, enjoy the outdoors. A few winters ago, my family took a day trip to Holland, MI. We first enjoyed the beach and walked along the pier (where… my brother actually fell in! Fun story.) After enjoying chilly Holland beachside, we trekked downtown and enjoyed lunch, coffee shops, and the small city life. It was just a spontaneous Sunday afternoon, but we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

Strive to do more this year and challenge yourself to see adventure as an attainable part of your life. Change your perspective, and make every moment an adventure.