One year ago today I started this blog. I was preparing to leave my beautiful island home in South Carolina for a little adventure to Alaska. I didn't really know what was coming next, but I was ready for something completely different. And I can definitely say that I found it.
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| View from the top of a ridge on the Carlana Lake Trail |
Yes my 6 month adventure completely changed my life, but isn't that what adventures are supposed to do. I was subbing at a school yesterday and one of the other teachers was asking me about my life and pretty much thought I was completely crazy. Her questions were something along the lines of: You moved all they way across the country alone? Your parents are okay with that? How could you possibly move to a new place not knowing anyone there?
These are all questions that I have heard many times. I mean I've lived in 4 different states and 5 different towns in the past 3 years...so I've heard most of them before. That is the reaction that I get from most people...that I'm crazy. I get it, it was a stretch for sure to move 4,000 miles away from my family and friends to a place where I didn't know anyone. But the great thing is...there are new people there, you make new friends.
As far as are my parents okay with it...it wasn't there decision. I'm very thankful that my parents have always been supportive of whatever I have wanted to do. But even if they hadn't been supportive, it's still my life and my decisions to make. And I made the decision long ago I never wanted to live a boring life. So yes for me that means that I moved to Alaska, it doesn't mean that I don't miss my family and that we aren't still close. It just means that mine is a little different from yours.
That is why when recently a friend of my parents from home tagged me in a Facebook post as one of his inspirations to remember to live an adventurous life, it was really refreshing (thanks Steve). One, its always nice to know that you can be an inspiration to anyone, no matter what their age. I mean that's why I want to be a teacher, to inspire the next generation to love the natural world and adventure the way that someone once did for me. Two, it's also nice to know there are other people who get the same feeling that you do when you take risks to not have a boring life.
Yes this blog entry has been a little different from the other ones about my adventure. But I'm happy to know that it doesn't end any time soon. I plan on inspiring as many people as possible to live a crazy and adventurous life. I'm not telling all of you that you should leave everything and move to Alaska, although you should all visit! But you should do things that make you enjoy your life.
An adventurous life does not necessarily mean climbing mountains, swimming with sharks, or jumping off cliffs. It means risking yourself by leaving a piece of you behind everywhere you go along the way.
This is one of my favorite quotes that I have ever read! Yes I have done a couple of those crazy adventurous things. But I've also left a part of myself every single place that I've been, and I've replaced it with a small piece of that place. Because to include another adventure quote: "We must take adventures to know where we truly belong." Every single adventure makes you who you are!
Keep in mind, watching a sunrise and sunset can be a great adventure. It all depends how you look at it. My life isn't an adventure because I live in Alaska, there are many people that live here who live boring lives. My life is an adventure because I refuse to let it be boring! It's a choice that I make everyday. Because as Eleanor Roosevelt said "The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, and to reach out eagerly and without fear for a newer and richer experience."
So I hope this post inspires you a little, even if it is just to see the adventure in your everyday life. I also challenge you to take some of the big adventures. They might even change your life, mine did. A year ago when I started this blog I never thought I'd still be in Alaska. And I couldn't have imagined that my life would be anywhere close to how Amazing it is today!
And now I'll leave you with a few of my favorite adventures New and Old, Big and Small!
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| Fishing with Kayln, Ben, and Chris when I lived in NC |
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| Getting to swim with this 12 foot Tiger Shark in Bimini |
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| Dancing my way through the Color run with Ann and Scott |
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| Releasing my Green Sea Turtle babies with Ann |
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| Exploring Jekyll Island with Carly, E-fay, and McNaughty |
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| Making it to the Redwoods |
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| Everyday rainbows with Ann and Scott |
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| Sarah's bachelorette party at Disney |
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| Exploring Yosemite National Park |
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| Watching sunset from the top of Cadillac Mountain in Arcadia National Park |
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| Ziplinning in the Alaskan Rainforest |
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| Exploring MBSP with Tristan and the SC tree |
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| Finding my first Chiton |
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| Meeting the Bullpen Cop in Boston! |
Don't live the same year 75 times and call it a life!
-Robert Sharma
