Adventure
Monday, January 21, 2008
ad·ven·ture (ād-věn'chər) n.
The original meaning of the word in Latin (aventura) was "to come about" or "to arrive." Closely related to the Latin word advent, "a coming into being." Only in the 1300's did the term take a turn through "risk/danger" and "perilous undertaking."
Almost without fail, whenever I tell people about my road trip move to Portland they refer to it as an adventure. When they hear that I don't know where I'm staying, that I don't have a job lined up, and that I'm going anyway, they say it's an adventure. They intend the latter meaning of the word - risk, danger, and the unknown. I had always considered my journey simply to be an advent - the next step to make something happen; to bring the next chapter of my life into being. Maybe this is the main difference between someone who is an adventurer and one who is not. A non-adventurer sees only the risk and the unknown, while the adventurer, though not blind to the risk, instead sees an opportunity (dare I say, calling?) to action: to create something new with his or her life.
If you had asked me a month ago if I was an adventurer, I would have said no. Recently, however, my answer has changed. I've seen the story of my life in a new way - that I'm not usually guided by the voice of God or by a specific open door, but by a God-given sense of adventure that drives me into new territory.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 2:27 PM
