Everyday
Why it’s a Great Adventure
When I married my husband Jon twenty-five years ago, I became a military wife. I learned that military life only had one constant, and that was change. Not every change is welcome or convenient, but when I demurred, or whined, Jon would always say, “It’s just part of the great adventure.”
Quite frankly, all that optimism could get annoying. But in this case, its even more annoying because he is right. All those unexpected changes and interruptions led to some great adventures, and we have had a ball!
Jon has been retired for some time now, and we are no longer subject to the changes dictated by the military, but our life is still a great adventure, and everything that has happened, the happy and the sad, have been the adventures that make up that great adventure.
This summer, we began a new adventure. Our youngest graduated from high school, and our older child was launched on his college career. After ten years in a large home in a very pleasant neighborhood, my husband and I were ready for a change too. We wanted to get away from the yard maintenance, the house upkeep, and our too busy schedules and pursue some of the goals we had been dreaming about. So, we sold the house, sold or gave away many of our things, and moved to a loft apartment in the city. I quit my job as a teacher and returned to school to pursue a master’s degree in instructional technology.
What we gained was more time. More time to pursue a healthy diet. More time to follow a fitness plan. More time for each other, to talk, and think, and plan, and enjoy so many things together. More time to work on our individual goals as well. More time to enjoy friends. More time for the things that are important.
So, as I am approaching the end of the first semester, a semester filled with challenges both academic and personal (weight loss plans, government shutdowns, locally sourced healthy foods), I can see that Jon is right again. It is a great adventure, complete with joys and stresses, and I am very grateful to be sharing it with my husband.
This blog will chronicle some of the adventures that become part of the great adventure. Some will be personal and some will be academic, and some will be professional. The point is that they are part of the great adventure and should be savored and shared. Everyone’s journey, or life, is a great adventure and it is what we decide to do with our adventures that is important.
