REsolution.

Once upon a time in a time far away, I left.  A friend and I decided one night that we would drive to Colorado.  We packed up our clothes and our dogs, left our responsibilities for a week and we drove.  We drove until we reached the place that made the most sense. Across the neverending fields of Kansas.  Catching every sunrise.  Embracing the freedom.  Singing along to Rosie Thomas all the way.  

I happened to find my journal from that time 8 years ago as I was putting away some Christmas things.  I laughed as I read and relived that great sense of accomplishment for following through.  A little urge to drive across country, as crazy as it sounded at that moment, was met with action.  

In every heart is the deep ache for adventure.  It is up to us how we choose to quench it.  Sometimes it means doing the craziest things that don't make sense.  Eight years ago I slept in a car in the middle of a Colorado winter just so that I could catch the thrill of a Steamboat Springs sunrise.  I was so excited from the adventure of it all, I didn't even realize how cold it was. 

It was amazing. 

I was younger then.

Adventure has taken on a whole new meaning.  
Charles and I sat down and made our lists of resolutions and somehow life has become a little bit more predictable.  As we talked about our goals for the year, I thought back to some of my words in my journal from 8 years before.  

On January 1st, 2004 I had written out my resolutions:

*Take road trips - CHECK (I left for Colorado the next week)

*Take a pottery class at the local art museum - CHECK (ahh, and in the midst of it, I learned to relax!)

*Read "To Kill A Mockingbird" - CHECK (still my favorite!)

*Spend more time with Grandpop - (I pray I did, he died later that year)

*Embrace love - CHECK (I'm not sure that I meant meeting my future husband, but I just so happened to meet Charles in April of 2004 - pretty neat timing)

After these resolutions I wrote:

FIND YOUR ADVENTURE

Sometimes it makes sense to be predictable.  I don't know that there are many road trips in my immediate future this year.  If there are, they involve 2 car seats and lots of gear, which somehow negates the freedom factor of a true road trip.  I do know that there is a big place for adventure in my life right now.  

It looks different, but I am content to hang out with my rockstar

 and blow bubbles after bathtime.

 I resolve to take more photos

and run a half marathon.

Resolutions don't have to be boring.  Sometimes we get so caught up in the "must do's" that we miss the whole point.  

So, this year I left an extra special space on my list of resolutions.  A space for one crazy thing that makes no sense in the predictability needed as a parent.  I dare you to squeeze in one more space for adventure on your list. One thing that you talk yourself out of or think you will never achieve.  Keep it  there.  You may not check out for a week to explore, but you may just find one of those spontaneous moments to embrace it.