Explore Day 2

Today we had to think about 'Adventure'.

I started by thinking about what adventure meant to me -

Adventure is ~

•    something exciting
•    something challenging
•    something that gives you a feeling of achievement  and
•    something new

So then I started to think about the adventures is my life. I'm not a 'gotta climb the highest mountain', 'gotta rescue elephants in Africa' type of person. I don't particularly like big roller coasters and I certainly have no desire whatsoever to bungee jump. I am a feet firmly on the ground (at all times!!!) type.

I am very lucky to have travelled quite a bit with my parents, mainly around Spain, Italy and France and so the urge to travel far and wide has only just kicked in!! I had a good education which gave me plenty of confidence in myself and my abilities - most of which has sadly been lost - but I am gradually regaining it, one baby step at a time :)

I have had a few small adventures along the meandering path of my life ~

     * spending a month in Spain with my friend after we finished our 'O' levels
     * moving out of home to a tiny flat in London

     * our trip to DisneyWorld in Florida where I had to drive myself and 2 children in a rented car, on the wrong side of the road, with no idea how the signposting worked, to our house in Kissimmee!! After nearly 2 hours and asking at 2 petrol stations and stopping to buy a map we got there ( oh yes and it was 10 o'clock at night when we landed at Orlando!!)
    * taking all 3 boys to Disneyland Paris on my own, after doing everything together for 21 years!
    * travelling all the way to the middle of the USA on my own and having to change planes mid-way. 

But the 5 main adventures in m y life have been ~

•    getting married at 21 and moving to Cornwall. New life, new job (well after a couple of months of job searching anyway!!)  :)
•   Setting up my own business - selling designer children's clothes in Truro. The buying trips to London were super and then months later the stock would arrive and I had forgotten what I had ordered, so it was like Christmas - so exciting :)  Having to deal with my own staff was definitely an adventure and sometimes a nightmare!  Unfortunately, I had to close it down after 3 years :(
• Getting divorced. Suddenly a single mum - having to get my own mortgage, sell our house and move and look after 3 children while working full-time (thank goodness for a brilliant childminder) 
• Being on my own again after all 3 boys decided to follow their dad and move to the USA

And last but not least ~~~~ PARENTHOOD!!! The biggest ADVENTURE of them all. And I did it 3 times !!!


It's an adventure because 

• babies/children do not come with instructions
• they come attached with a massive responsibility ( decsions you make could, and often do, affect the whole of their lives  *aaaagh!*)
• every day is an adventure for you and them - 1st steps, 1st words, 1st day at school, trips out, holidays, 1st girlfriend ................... the list goes on :)

We have been tasked to write ourselves a postcard detailing when we felt at our most adventurous and mail it to ourselves. When it arrives back I'll write about it here! :)