Part of finding “happiness” or contentment, within ourselves, particularly as we age and concede to our limitations, is to figure out what in life continues to offer us positive returns. We attempt to hang onto a remnant of what once did it for us, when it is clear that we can no longer find peace or joy there. People have come to know us in relation to those things, that they have a hard time seeing us elsewhere, or want to help us find the new passion that drives the day.
Tools and advice are ample. Spend time with friends, take up a new hobby: painting, golf, rock climbing… All worth a go, but what if none of that will stick? What if the thing that works for you is completely unconventional and contrary to most everyone else’s thoughts and expectations? What if you find your solace in nature, don’t absolutely require the same finer comforts that your peers do, and your bucket list is filled with things that might get you dirty and left at the whims of fancy far away from the nearest touch screen and one-click shopping?
So here I am, a bit of a broken soul ever since inception and I have always sought the countercultural for the space and freedom it affords. I like to work when no one is working, I like to travel when and where no one is traveling. I have a hard time falling in line with the masses as they are led by something other than what provides positive returns for everyone. Positive returns seem to come most when I am offshore in my canoe, hiking a mountain, getting lost in music and dance, riding my bike in the middle of nowhere, just me and God’s awesome creation filling the air around me, and with the occasional like-minded souls that I meet along the way. They also come in places I have talent but reluctance in. Work, drive, vision, perseverance, creativity, strategy and ability to make just about anything happen without limitation or compromise. Those are really cool things to be able to apply, but for the most part they are dry and without continuity.
I am fortunate to still find ways to positive returns, even though it is difficult at times to dig and discover them with the world streamlining us in a certain direction. With more navel gazing than most would be inclined to, and with some additional reservations in play with age, the world out there is still to be acted upon, just as it always has been. Crossing oceans, pursuing goals unlike many others, it has always been a part of me. I see the concern, and I feel the anxiety of stepping into the unknown, but I also know to overcome those in trust that the reward is there, as it always has been, more than I ever could expect or imagine. Thus I go to the adventures that await a little gentler on myself for the wear.
