What's keeping you from adventure?
"Try is the opposite of hiding"Seth Godin, Poke the Box
This spring I visited my friend Susan who lives in Oxford, England. Our adventures started the day I arrived when we realized we had been talking too much (typical) and were going to miss one of the sights we wanted to visit.
"Darn!" Susan said. "I really want you to see Blenheim Palace while you are here, but there's no way we'll get there before they close. But, maybe we could try and see if the guards will let us on the grounds."
Since we didn't have alternate plans, we decided to try.
Traffic was terrible. Daylight was running out as if it knew we were in a race. And a quick Google search confirmed we were past closing time.
But for some reason, Susan was determined to try.
When we arrived at the gate, the parking lot was mostly deserted. Fortunately, the guard said the grounds were open for an additional two hours! Woot!!
Points for showing up!!!
The scenery was amazing!! However, getting into the grounds was simply the beginning of the adventure.
With a series of "trying" episodes (at Susan's prodding), we ended up driving through the far corners of the Palace grounds, finding Winston Churchill's grave, meeting a former member of British Parliament, Tom, who was preparing to visit Atlanta.
Wait. What?
One thing lead to another, and we spent the cocktail hour with Tom and his wife Jane in their nearby home.
I'm sparing you the remarkable details of the day because you might question my honesty. (I hardly believe the story myself and I was there.)
But what I don't want to miss is how different the day would have been had Susan not been open and willing to say "yes." We had no idea what adventure was waiting after making a little extra effort.
Even though this experience is only a few months old, I think of it often. I am encouraged to say "yes" more and then see what can be found.
Trying can be a pain and it certainly doesn't guarantee success. We could have been turned away from the palace and wasted an afternoon. But, what this experience showed me is magical days don't happen with typical decisions.
Adventures are found when you try something different.
Look for things this week to say "yes" to and keep me posted on your adventures!!