Recently I was talking with someone about a public figure who had appeared in the news for not-so-great reasons and while they weren’t making fun of the person, I could tell they definitely didn’t think very highly of them. So I jokingly said that the public figure must have followed the old saying ‘go big or go home,’ which the other person I was chatting with thought was hilarious. But in the weeks since that conversation I’ve been thinking more about what it means to “go big” and that we should dig in and dig deeper more often in our lives. Yes, status quo and consistency and maintaining is great (certainly better than loss or any of its relatives), yes it’s fun to sprinkle in some brief changes and challenges from time to time to keep us on our toes and keep the boredom away, but there’s so much more depth and magic to life that we can miss out on if we aren’t intentional about letting those experiences into our lives from time to time.
For example I love dogs and know they’re amazing animals, but if you never go to a zoo, if you never watch nature documentaries, if you never take any time to learn about the other creatures that we share this planet with, you’re missing out on a ton of creative, unique, smart, beautiful and dedicated animals. I’m not saying you have to become an animal expert, or an expert on any (or every!) topic out there, because that’s just not possible. But what I am saying is that it’s important to remind yourself, and teach your kids, that there’s a wide world out there that deserves respect (because some of it is really powerful and dangerous) and exploring and enjoying it should be a regular part of your lives.
As we immerse ourselves in the season of Autumn, I’m reminded that it’s a great time to do some exploring locally and discover some of the cool things that are in your local area (or state) because of the change in weather and schedules. Maybe you want to take on something you’ve always been curious about or something that’s a bit of a local mystery. Maybe you want to try something that’s a little scary or intimidating to you like doing an overnight hike or learning SCUBA or to learn metalworking. The younger you can start your kids on getting them excited about this world that we all share, the better. Why? Because some of the most intelligent people I know are those who are the most curious and continue to explore and learn about this world that we all share, and the early experiences they had as a child learning and exploring are where it all started for them.
What fun adventures will you go on this autumn and what part of the world have you been exploring that’s really opened your eyes recently?