You’re barely at the start of a journey, and things begin to crumble around you. Your plans are obsolete, dust in the wind. What do you do? Turn back, tail between your legs? No. You strive forward, take the blows as they come, and you make good from the bad.
I’ve had more failed adventures than I would like to count, from big events like my snowbird status in Salt Lake City that only lasted two weeks, to not being able to summit a peak because I had thought I wouldn’t need micro spikes. If there is any one definite in setting out on a new journey, is that if something bad can happen, it will.
Taking the bad as just a slight hitch in your otherwise sterling plans took me more than my fair share of spills. I used to get annoyed with my failure, and the frustration turned the day sour. A beautiful, sunny day could become too hot, or too buggy, after just one little blip. After a while I just stepped back from the situation and laughed at how upset I had become. To reclaim the situation, all you would have to do was change how you looked at it. It was that simple.
You can’t let the little failures in your adventures effect you. The outcome is dependent on you, always has and always will be. If a peak is too far out of reach, venture off into the unexplored reaches of the mountain to find some hidden treasure. If your road trip is suddenly faced with harsh realities, then take it in stride, find something good in the frustration.
I am in impulsive person, and my last second decision to set out on a three day backpacking trip in Maine turned out to be much different than I expected. The friend I had invite along wasn’t used to hiking mountains with a heavy pack of gear, something I hadn’t taken into consideration. By the time we were halfway up the first mountain, far from the first campsite, we realized he wasn’t going to be able to make the entire trek. That could have derailed the entire trip, but I took a step back and looked at it from another angle.
He was embarrassed, but knew his limits, so we turned the bad situation over, and made fresh. Instead of returning home, heads down, we turned the long muddied trek through the pouring rain, into a stunning, moody stay in Acadia. The clouds were sullen, and the coastline thunderous. It’s amazing what a little change in perspective can achieve, both on the trail and in your everyday life.
Whether its burning dinner, losing your job, or just having a bad day, try to find the good in a situation, because the alternative will drag you down with it.
Any adventure is a good adventure. You just have to see it from another point of view.
codyupdike 