I have had a life full of adventures. As I get older, I ponder life more often, consider the decisions I have made and the experiences I have accumulated over the years. Early on these adventures were initiated by my parents and the way I was raised. As an adult the adventures were mostly due to my wife — whose mission in life is stirring the pot. It is not like I had to be dragged into these adventures — I was a willing participant and occasional instigator. However, the nature of an adventure requires you to leave your comfort zone to venture off into the unknown or at least the unfamiliar. As an adult my teaching career took me to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and later to Las Vegas, Nevada. Neither of these places were on my bucket list, nor did I ever imagine living in either city. Regardless, I am very appreciative of both communities, the people I met and the opportunities I have been afforded. However, I don’t consider either place home. I have often heard the bold truth uttered, “You ain’t from around here…” At best I felt like a welcome guest, at worst a carpet bagger of sorts. These communities were not always comfortable or convenient places to live.
It is interesting: As my wife and I approach retirement age and have choices regarding where we would like to live, we are mildly perplexed. When you go on an adventure, the assumption is that you will at some point return “home” and at this point neither of us really know where that is. I always felt that my work and life have been full of meaning and purpose, but it has never been tied to a particular geographic location. I have always been willing to get up and go if an opportunity presented itself. Although my wife and I grew up in the same town in Iowa, none of our family members remain there, and most of our friends have moved away. We haven’t been back for decades and would likely not recognize it if we returned. I finally realized that I was never on an adventure with the promise of returning home. Instead, my wife and I have been on a quest. A quest, as opposed to an adventure, has no end or particular destination and is largely driven by meaning and purpose. So, our next move will feel less like an adventure and more like another chapter in an ongoing and continuous quest for meaning, purpose and opportunity.