In case you haven’t figured it out by now, my blog mixes my introverted, writer-lifestyle with my thirst for adventures and exploration. In my mind, these two interests do not meld as easily. Most days, I feel like Bilbo Baggins…
“Sorry! I don’t want any adventures, thank you. Not Today. Good morning! But please come to tea – any time you like! Why not tomorrow? Good bye!”
I am perfectly happy sitting at home, reading my books, writing my stories, eating my food, and drinking my–well, my husband’s best-brewed–beer. It is a wonderful existence. Most days, it is all I need.
But then the restlessness comes. Maybe it’s because the weather has gotten warmer and I’m distinctly aware of the snow melting from the mountains. Maybe I just spent way too many days shut in. Or maybe I saw a picture somewhere, maybe one that someone else took, or one that I snapped myself…
Whenever I read up on travel by other people, especially personal stuff like blog entries, I feel a bit…inadequate, I guess. I feel like these people are always ready and on the go, with an overnight pack that they’ll just throw into the back of their car so they can go somewhere. I’ve been trying really hard to be this person for years: I can even go two days now without changing my clothes or thinking of a shower! This may not seem like much until I explain to you that when I first started camping I couldn’t do it without at least 5 of my most comfortable sleeping clothes.
I don’t know, I guess I thought the lack of comfort would kill me.
But that has all changed, I swear. I think I can even get on board the whole Merino-don’t-change-your-underwear-for-two-weeks thing, if Merino didn’t make me itch like hell. And I’m okay with snacking for sustenance now. Gone were the days where we would bring tubs of rice and adobo into the mountains, afraid of starving to death with the bears…
Except, every time we plan a trip, I still get this voice inside my head. It is not as strong as the urge to get out, but it’s strong enough to make me uncomfortable.
“Hey,” that voice will say. “Isn’t your bed nice and soft? And if you want, you can get up, open Steam, and have lots of fun without ever leaving your house…”
But I have lived a life without adventure before, and even back then, my mind would wander, wondering about all the places that I have never been to yet would like to see. I’m lucky to be in a place where the hardest part now is just getting that first step out of the comfort of my home. Afterwards, my exploration mode kicks in. I become amazingly focused and lose the urge to check Twitter every couple of seconds.
Nature can have that effect. It’s amazing.
I want to see mountains again, Gandalf, mountains…
Travel through mountains, into dark forests, across steppes, and over the ocean without ever having to worry where the toilet is in The Agartes Epilogues.
