It’s probably not surprising by now that I had a love for choose your own adventure books growing up. Anything that allowed my brain to exercise its independence and curiosity lead to two thumbs up. I loved being able to create more than one ending and from an early age started to think about how different choices would affect an outcome, a character or the overall story line.
Not much has changed with my 35 year old self. I still love to be curious and independent. I have come to love helping people sort through all the options, knowing each one will lead to a different life outcome. The thing that stinks about real life is the fact you can’t always start over when your choice leads to an ending that is somewhat undesirable.
I know I have written about my running before, but wanted to shed some light on how I’ve kept it fresh and interesting during this time of uncertainty. I have decided to make my runs a “choose your own adventure” not having a set course laid out before me. I simply start in a direction and choose from there.
Maybe it is an historic building I want to check out, or a neighborhood I haven’t been in for a while. Sometimes the weather, old lady knees or the overall time I have dictates my next move, but still the course is unexpected. I oftentimes have no clue how far I’ve gone, but have gotten to explore some really neat new places. On a recent run, I came across the most beautiful graffiti and a corner drug store. Who knew we still had one of those? I would have loved to go in, but remained respectful of our current situation.
As we continue to navigate these really weird times keep in mind you can always choose your own adventure. You can wake up and think through all the different options the day has and what outcome you are expecting or hoping for. You can then choose people, places and things that will help you get there. It is also a pretty fun thing to set up for your kids. Have options they get to pick from throughout the day that lead them to different endings. Take a walk, run or bike ride and steal my idea-go wherever the neat things our city has to offer takes you. Remember, there are a whole bunch of things you are totally in control over-keep those in focus and have a great adventure.
Keep exploring. Have fun. Choose your own adventure.