adventure

When you set out on an adventure, you've got to be ready for an adventure. It may not be what you've imagined. Or, maybe not even close to the adventure that you see in your head. I set out on a road trip to Austin, Texas with my dad last Sunday afternoon. I think we learned a lot about ourselves and about each other. As my friend Chris says, "An adventure rarely feels like one while you are in the middle of it." It's afterward, on the other side, that you can see things for what they really are, and see the whole forest, and you can see the awesome parts of the story.

There were struggles. The trip was wrought with a couple of unexpected road blocks, that in hindsight, of course, weren't really that major. We had "discussions" and disagreements. We discovered that we may not necessarily make the best traveling companions. We get crabby and irritable when we're tired. We are a lot alike. In fact, sometimes, it seemed like we were identical. I think that's why we clashed so much. We both want the same things. I am part of him. I have many of his characteristics.

I was talking to Faye about, how, as I get older, I see more and more, that I am half of my mom and half of my dad. She said, "When you're young, you think, "I'm never going to this and such the way my parents did," and then, one day, you discover yourself doing the exact same thing." It's funny how that happens.

The trip was not dreary. Dad and I had a lot of fun, exciting times. We got to meet the famous Ronne Rock at the beautiful Oasis at Travis Lake in Lakeway. She is every bit as sweet and lovely and beautiful as I imagined. She brought a lot of peace to our day, and I am very grateful for that. She asked my dad if he was now "frolicking among the pecan trees" since he's retired. And the two of them got along splendidly, as I knew they would.

After a couple of questionable hotel options (the "unexpected road block"), we ended up at a lovely hotel in Dripping Springs, that overlooked a beautiful valley to the West, and we had an absolutely gorgeous view of the sunset from our room.

We stopped in Austin at a very intriguing antique/oddities shop on South Congress Avenue called Uncommon Objects. They had many awesome things, but for my dad and I, their prices were just too high. They gave him an RC Cola and he had one of the cashiers sign one of their business cards. He was pretty happy about that signed card.

We stopped twice in Giddings, just to take pictures of cool murals on the outside of buildings. We also spotted another antique shop in Giddings - Whistle-Stop Antiques - which dad loved. We both love scrounging around antique shops, looking for treasures, and I would have to say that's probably when we were the most at peace - when we were wandering around those little shops together.

At the Texas State Capitol, I watched my dad have a brief conversation with a squirrel and also a passing crow. He tossed a quarter at them. I'm not sure how they could have used the quarter, possibly buy nuts.

He engaged everyone he crossed paths with. Some people ignored him, but most of them would give him at least a smile and have a brief conversation with him. He moved at a very slow pace as well. I had to learn to be content with his slow meandering stroll. Watching him reminded me that I need to live more in the moment, and take the time to enjoy "this" moment... this exact moment that I'm in. It's tough sometimes. It's tough when I'm the responsible one, when I want to make sure we're not missing anything. I need to remember to pause to enjoy and truly feel the small moments too. They are important too. Because the small moments together, make the big moments. I found myself repeating over and over in my head, "Enjoy this moment."

We had a lot of good times, and a few struggles. But, if you don't walk through fire, you're going to be pretty plain. Fire and trial and adventure make you. They shape you. Your response to adversity shapes you, it builds your character. Like Faye says, "You can't grow in your comfort zone." Sometimes, I have to force myself to exist outside of my comfort zone, to explore things that are scary. I was definitely outside my comfort zone driving in Austin traffic! Outside of our comfort zone is where we grow and develop into stronger, more interesting people, instead of plain vanilla. By exploring new things, we make ourselves more interesting, and intriguing, worth knowing, worth having a conversation with.

It was a wonderful adventure, and I wouldn't change anything at all. (Except maybe the freezing cold shower on Tuesday morning.)

Tuesday, April 29th, 2014, Bastrop, Texas