When I was younger, I wanted to do something never done before. I wanted to conquer the world and stand on the tallest mountain. As I grow older, I see every day as a new adventure. I was once told that if I wanted to find God I need look no further than a flower. That stuck with me. It has turned into my unsolvable koan. (A koan is often a paradoxical riddle used in Zen Buddhism to provoke enlightenment.) I am fascinated by the things I can discover in my own garden, and how every day is different.
So, as I grow older, sharing my adventures becomes more difficult as my definition of an adventure becomes less colloquial. Everything — Yes, I believe everything! — is an adventure of exploring the unknown and experiencing things never experienced and creating things never created. The challenge is having the eyes to see it, and I believe that if I am living a life full of integrity, I tackle every day like a new adventure. Not only is the world filled with wonders, but it is also a world where you can create new wonders. In a way, it isn’t the top of the mountain or the flower in the garden that is wondrous, but it is the creation of the new experience — the combination of both you and the flower. And, everyone that climbs that mountain or sees that flower will create something new and add it to the oeuvre of humanity.
I hope this story provides a little inspiration to you, my reader. For me, the author of this article and my life, it is a note to myself. Below is an incomplete list of stories I’ve always meant to tell. I’m afraid someday they may be lost to history. But… Isn’t that the way of most adventures — most days? Perhaps I should worry less about recording my adventures and just go live another one. Perhaps, they will die with me. Perhaps, that is where they belong.
Scott’s untold adventures
- 2013-2023: An adventure living in Ohio. This may not sound glamorous, but it was a big chunk of my life with many lessons learned.
- 2020: The Bahamas. (See picture above.)
- 2019: I’m currently loving gardening and making homegrown, homemade fermented hot sauce!
- 2018: The Dominican Republic, including living in a treehouse, whale watching, bike riding, and horseback adventure through the jungle to a waterfall. (Sorry, I haven’t had time to post all this great stuff.)
- 2017: Total solar eclipse. I’ve traveled the world and this is the most amazing thing I have ever seen!
- 2015: Joshua Tree National Park, Sedona, AZ and more.
- 2011: USA road trip, including Arizona’s Meteor Crater.
- 2000: New Year’s Eve in Manchester, UK. We all thought the world might end due to the Y2K bug and other crazies. Instead, I celebrated in my year “2000” top hat, even being featured on the BBC.
- 1997: Cross-country bicycle tour from ocean to ocean and border to border. The warm-up for my world trek.
- 1994: European Backpacker.
- 1992: Study abroad student in the United Kingdom.
- 1981: Rabbit hunting with homemade bow and arrow. (Even as a child I had an adventurous spirit.)
- And much more.
