Adventure in the Great, Wide Somewhere

Belle sang about “adventure in the great, wide somewhere.” Aladdin, Jasmine and Genie all went off to “see the world.” Arielle sold her voice to be “part of your world.”*

Everyone wants to be the star of their own story.  I wanted my story to be an action-adventure tale with lots of explosions, magic and a real-life version Dimitri from Anastasia. The best stories all involved leaving home. Everyone knows you can’t have a grand adventure unless you travel.**

Because who doesn't want to marry a con man who takes you to Paris and tries to pass you off as a Russian princess?
On second thought I would be ok with this.

Everytime the Air Force moved my family from one middle-of-nowhere town to the next I got excited. Maybe this time we’d go somewhere exciting. Of course we didn’t, reality can never compete with preadolescent fantasy. The other Air Force BRATS didn’t help--they all had stories of Germany and the Philippines. I had stories about Nebraska and West Virginia.

The wanderlust never left me; but I’m a natural saver and spending money on a one time experience seems extravagant. My travels thus far have only included Mexico and Canada. That’s not exactly the adventure I had in mind. Heroes are never called on great quests to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. It’s a fact.

So for my five year anniversary I wanted something different. I was ready to blow out all the stops and go to Rome...until I saw the cost. Not to be deterred, I planned to fly to Machu Picchu...until the government shut down and my husband’s company took a pay cut. So when the government fired up the ‘ol engines again and sputtered back to life my husband and I were looking for a great deal or no trip at all.

We choose a heavily discounted trip to Costa Rica. I’d never considered a vacation there. It wasn’t on my bucket list. No famous heroine from any novels ever went on a journey of self-discovery to Costa Rica.*** I was muttery and inconsolable.

Let’s step back and take a moment. I was disappointed about a vacation to Costa Rica.

I wanted a specific experience so much that I refused to get excited about a wonderful trip involving a volcano and ziplining. I realized that I was being ridiculous. That led me to the further realization that I am better traveled than I give myself credit for.

I’ve had fifteen different homes in five different states. I’ve swam in the Gulf, the Atlantic, the Pacific and a dozen different lakes in between. I’ve been from one side of the continent to the other (2,686 miles in my case.) I’ve seen  the Southernmost tip of Florida disappear into the ocean and I’ve driven the long, flat northern interstates of North Dakota. Just because it was all part of the same country doesn’t mean that I haven’t seen a huge chunk of this great big world.

My life is cooler than I thought. Yours probably is too.

P.S. There will not be a blog update next Tuesday due to my awesome anniversary vacation.

*Technically she did it so she could meet a man she’d never spoken to--but let’s not quibble.

**You also can’t have a grand adventure if both of your parents are still alive.

***If anyone knows of any such novel I will retract my statement.