Adventure #31: Finishing the Blog

When I started this journey, I didn't really think about how much work the blog itself would take. While I am a decent writer, I'm not someone who immediately enjoys the process. I am proud of my ability to write well, but it frequently seems like more of a chore. Additionally, with a piece like this, I've struggled to identify with who my audience is (besides my mom) and how to connect in a way that makes it compelling to other people without just having it read like a list of yelp reviews or bragging about all the cool stuff I do.

The more I wrote, though, the more I realized that this writing isn't actually for anybody else-- it's for me. My writing didn't have to be about pleasing the audience (although it's nice when it does) but more about recording my honest experiences over the course of a year. I've struggled with diaries, journals, and blogs in the past (never knowing how to start or having the fortitude to make it to the end) but after I forced myself to keep a journal on the Wonderland Trail I realized how nice it is to be able to look back and re-visit my experiences from that specific perspective and in the moment that I experienced them.

I also liked that this had a clearly defined end. 30 Adventures. 30 blog posts. That's it. This was a self-imposed obligation and nobody I know would have criticized me, or pulled my funding (not that anybody was funding this other than me), or stopped being my friend for not finishing. However, having a deadline encouraged me to keep up with my work--both of writing AND adventuring. I may have gotten to many of these events or activities at some point in my life, but a big factor in making this decision in this year was convincing myself to stop waiting for someday to happen. I want to celebrate the moments that we have EVERY day by taking advantage of the new opportunities that are presented to us without trying to make it something "special". When I get a new notebook I usually skip the first few pages, afraid to mar them with something less than perfection. I had my first LUSH bath bomb in my bathroom cabinet for over a year because I felt like it was a luxury that had to be saved for a special occasion. What I've taken away from this is that special occasions like birthdays (especially ones that end in 0s) or anniversaries should certainly be celebrated and honored, but the ordinariness of any given day shouldn't hold us back from the extraordinary or the special. Any day can be extraordinary if we only find the courage to make it so.

I recently had the idea to look into publishing this blog in a small book, as I think I would like to have a physical copy to put on my shelf and look back at many years from now. There will likely be typos, and photos I may find unflattering, and I will likely be more critical of my work than anybody else would be. But it would be tangible, and it would be permanent, and it would be mine.

I've toyed around with the idea of continuing an adventure blog-- a place to post about spectacular hikes, or my travel and hiking adventures. If I do, I will likely start it on a new page, as I like the sense of completeness that comes with this final post. I will not likely set any deadlines or obligations (unless, of course, I feel like I need it for some reason or another) but I hope that I will be able to carry this sense of adventure with me for many more years to come, and remember the gratification that comes with revisiting my adventures through my own written lens. None of us know exactly how long we have here, so I might as well make the most of my time while I've got the chance. And while I'd much rather spend most of my time hiking, or traveling, or taking opportunities as they present themselves to me, maybe it's not so bad to slow down and reflect on it in writing every once in a while.

A few approximate statistics: 

• Waivers signed: 6
• Airplane rides: 11 
• Calories in one deep fried butter ball: 114
• Miles hiked:141.7
• Money raised for SheJumps (as of May 5th, 2019): $2,702.90 
• Axe throwing games I won: 2
• Total blog posts: 32
• Total word count: 19,728 (copied and pasted into a word document, it's 115 pages, single spaced, size 12 Times New Roman Font!)

Future Adventure ideas:

• Climb Mt. Rainier (to be done July 2019)
• Rafting the Grand Canyon (to be done in August 2019)
• Going to Portugal and Spain with students (to be done in June 2020)
• Going to the 2020 Olympics in Japan (to be done in July 2020)
• Visiting all the National Parks (this one will take a while)
• Taking a trapeze class
• Complete another "challenge" (See 50 plays in a year? Read 50 books in a year? Take at least one camping trip every month?)
• Go to a rock climbing gym
• Zone out in a float-tank session
• Paragliding and parasailing (yes, they're different)
• Attend performances at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
• Get a Master's Degree
• Hike the Tour du Mont Blanc
• Walk the Camino de Santiago

This will be an ever changing and growing list, and I'm definitely open to suggestions

Thanks to all 42 of you who adventured with me: 
Mike C.
Mike C. (a different one)
Kris C.
Nathan C.
Chris D.
Margaret E.
Derrek G.
Sandy H.
Briana K.
Joe K.
Tim L.
Adriana L.
Alison L.
Shannon M. L.
Spencer M.
Leslie N.
Frank O.
Mattie O.
Cassondra S.
Reece S.
Henry S.
Rebecca S.
Steve S.
Rebekah S.
Mike S.
Jessica S.
Russ S. 
Nikky S.
Jed T.
Rob W.
Alex W.
Kate W.

And my 10 students who came to London with me:
Gage B.
Gabe B.
Payton C.
Molly L.
Esperanza M-V.
Marilyn M.
Jason P.
Gabriella R.
Julia S.
Kyle T.