On the nature of Adventures

I went kayaking for the first time yesterday with a bunch of other people who also happen to live in my building. And I must say I LOVED it!! Simply being on that vast, serene lake was freeing in itself. Although I had 3 other people kayaking with me, I felt quite alone and content. All I had to think about when working as a team, was the synchronized paddling and the odd small talk now and then. Otherwise, they left me alone, alone to myself to wonder and muse and dream. The best part about the trip was how many paths we had available for us to go: we could go in any direction we wanted, cross any way we pleased, pass any tunnel, and still come out safe and reach our point of departure. The almost endless stretch of water which took me to distant places (even if it is a shaded wood or a peek at someone's private beach), which would not stop me from traveling if I chose, and yet buoyed me up should I fall or choose to float, filled me with such pleasant thoughts, that I ceased to think of all the myriad things that weigh on me in that most uncooporative World of Work. While the sea is overpowering and insistent, the lake is active in its own way. It is quiet, but potent. It is serene, but nurturing. It is calm but challeging in its isolation. Above all, it allowed me to step in its waters and give myself completely up to nature for a few hours. Also, wherever we paddled there were interesting sights to see: whether it was another sailing boat, a family kayaking for the first time, a deserted hut, or a little waterfall. In any case, I was certainly not tired (except when the muscles in my arms ached due to natural effects of anaerobic oxidation). It was such a lovely day as well and made me so energized, so full of inspiration, enabling me to see little stories scampering about here and there.

When we got back in the afternoon, I talked with a friend of mine (who had also gone on the trip), and she mentioned how so many girls have no desire for "adventure". She looked at me and said "In the scale for being adventerous, I'd give you a 3/10, but otherwise, you are ok!". This is a friend whose honesty I respect, even though it might come off harshly, even though I might get hurt. It is always best to hear the truth.

However, I didn't think she was quite right. Basically because she and I clearly had different definitions for the word "adventure". She is more the sporty type, who can't sleep without a (large) dose of excercise a day, including running or swimming. Fitness and physical activities are such an important part of her life, for she used to row as well. Though our need for intellectual conversations brought us closer together as friends, the differences in our "active" lifestyles were still significant. Her comment about my being not adventerous enough made me think of Frankengirl's recent post, where she asked,

"Is exercising the muscles of our body more highly esteemed in our society than excising the muscles of our brain? Is traveling to other countries, more desirable than traveling across the maps of our minds, hearts and souls?"

Why is the need for doing sports necessary to being termed "adventerous"? Why do people not think that one could have the most interesting, inspiring, fierce, and destructive adventures in one's own head? Why is the adventure of the intellect not noticed? I don't want to be called "adventerous" merely for the sake of it. All I am saying is that people ought to recognize that some of the hardest battles take place not in war zones on earthly soil, but rather, in the grey cells of one's cranium, as well in that intangible corner of one's being, one's heart and soul. I'd like to ask others who are ignorant of mental adventures this question, "Is it necessary for me to measure my brain activity by use of wires and electronic equipement in order to prove to you that I am not just languishing, idling away all day just because I don't prance around the tennis court?" Honestly, I don't dislike sports, in fact, I do them in moderation. And I am fond of walking and I swim when possible. And I am quite content with the "adventures" in my own head (though there are times when I long for more mental excitement), I am quite content to be left alone,if it means being removed from the society of such people who not only exert little intellectually and emotionally (when they have the capacity to do so), but also ridicule others who long for other things. If they left me, I'll be left alone to just ponder and think things and dream dreams without being forced to restrict my thoughts, schmoose and endure their arid chatter.

But this brings me to the 'material point', which is to ask the following questions: What is an Adventure? If freedom is sought in adventure, isn't restricting the meaning of this word doing the opposite of the very thing that adventure promotes?