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As a child my brother and I would make pallets on the back porch of our childhood home to sleep in the fresh air. I remember being woken up by birds chirping and sunlight on my face. We would talk and laugh late into the night, while watching fireflies dance in our backyard.  

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I remember the camping trips we took with our parents to a friend’s land that was a mile from our home where we slept on a flatbed trailer and ate the most simple meals. We swam in the little creek that ran through the property with not a care in the world. We explored and relaxed with no schedule or agenda. These days were some of the most joyful in my life. 

Somewhere along the way I decided that adventure meant long journeys, copious amounts of gear, and plenty of money doled out. I forgot the simpleness associated with those days in my youth. Simplicity is a bit counter culture these days. We are often inundated with the idea that more is more rather than feeling content with our surroundings. 

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This year, I decided to chase simplicity in every aspect of my life as well as take back the Simple Adventure. Some of the ways we are seeking the Simple Adventure are a little unorthodox but dang are they fun! 

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Simple Adventure #1: Weird Walks

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A Weird Walk is exactly as it sounds: You walk until you find something weird. It’s the idea that you can find something exciting, different, or just downright weird in your own neighborhood everyday. You can keep going as long as you wish, but the idea is to get some sunshine on your skin and some fresh air in your lungs. The weird walk sparks creativity but also a new appreciation for what you have around you. This has become a family excursion for us with our 5 year old proclaiming every 100 feet we walk that he has seen something “berry weird”. 

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Simple Adventure #2: Daily Activities Outdoors

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This name is a little tricky so let me break it down. We take a daily activity that we already have to do, and we find a way to take it outdoors. 

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The options include but are not limited to:

Drinking Coffee

Reading

Answering Emails

Zoom Calls

Eating Lunch 

Writing

Drawing

Taking a Nap (my 2 year old’s favorite)

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These are things we have to do anyway, so why not take them outside? We’re not reinventing the wheel here, we’re just simplifying it. 

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Simple Adventure #3: Exploring Our Own Backyard

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Within roughly an hour's drive from our home we have 7 different parks or green spaces available to us. Instead of planning big adventures, we are hitting up spaces local to us first. We don’t want to forsake the beauty around us for driving halfway across Texas when we could enjoy what’s right here! 

As we continue to get outdoors and encourage others to as well, may we remember the word simplicity. Simplicity means the quality of being natural and easy to understand. When my mind is racing a million miles an hour and I’m making decision after decision, I want something that’s easy to understand and I bet that you do, too.  

We’re often told that all adventure is high paced and extreme. I would argue that adventure is always around us, if we only slow the pace and take it easy so we aren’t blinded to it. 

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