Monday Musings: Adventuring 101

I want to be the type of person who goes on adventures. They don’t have to be big, expensive trips to far off lands—small, attainable outings each week will do, just something to add a little spice to my otherwise routine life.

My main obstacle in this quest is that my social anxiety often paralyzes me, helping me make up excuses for why I should just stay home. Doing something new, especially by myself, sets off the alarm bells of “Danger! Danger!”

But I’m not going to let that stop me! Starting this month, I want to prioritize taking time each weekend to go on some sort of adventure. So what’s on my short list?

Adventure List

Go on a solo art date
Library (and finally get library card!)
Browse Trader Joe’s
Go to a bookstore
Go to a cafe/coffee shop
Visit an art gallery
Go on a “hike”
Visit a lake
Have a picnic in the park
Go to a flea market
Go to a farmer’s market
Pottery painting
Thrift store treasure hunt
Garage sale
Watch the sunrise/sunset
Go to a botanical garden
Try new restaurant/cuisine
Visit an animal shelter
Check out a nearby town
Go to the movies alone
Test drive a hybrid car
Go to an open house

How to get started

My second biggest obstacle is actually choosing one of these things, putting it on the calendar and then ACTUALLY DOING IT. So I have two options I’m considering as I head into my adventuring era: an online spinner wheel or a gameboard. Now this won’t actually get me out the door, but it will make the selection process less daunting.

Spinner Wheel

I recently heard about this from a YouTube creator I follow (THIS is the video where she uses the wheel (timestamp 32:40), but she doesn’t mention which one she’s using– I think it’s THIS one). She uses it for a music goal she has this year, but it can apply to anything you want to randomly select. You input all the entries into the site and it creates a wheel for you. After you electronically spin the wheel, you can remove the entry from the options (unless it’s an adventure you would want to repeat).

Gameboard

A gameboard is just a different way to randomize the adventure selection. It’s more of an arts and craft option. It requires paper and a drawing implement (or a template and a printer), dice and a game piece to keep track of your progress along the path. I plan to include some “jump ahead 3 spaces” or “go back 2 spaces” or “roll again” to make it more fun. If I land on an adventure I’ve already gone on, I’ll either roll again or just move to the next available spot.