Tales of Adventure!

Always, I have wanted to go on an adventure. The kind where one faces daring odds, meets all sorts of new people, travels to fascinating and terrifying places, and achieves what they set out for, perhaps more.

Oh yes, I have pictured it all. I'd wear those boots that seem made for adventure. A rucksack filled with only the essentials would be on my back. My hair would be up in a messy but pretty ponytail, and a grin would paint my face. I'd probably feel born ready.

Unfortunately, quests and adventures are never planned for; they are extemporaneous, happening on ordinary days just out of the blue. Those embarking on such journeys never expected to be on them, or maybe never even wanted to be. These adventures bring great hardship, shaping experiences, and occasionally deep sorrow and pain. Many times have I wondered how these characters endure. How they can find the strength to emerge from trial and suffering when it almost seems unimaginable.

Could I do that?

In the movie Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Holmes, Watson, and the rest of their group are sprinting in a forest from their enemies. Countless bullets and explosions follow them, and Holmes has a deep wound.

Would I be able to escape under such conditions?

Ally Condie's novel Crossed tells a somewhat similar story. Heroine Cassia and two other characters have to run nonstop for days.

I may enjoy running, but could I run like that if I had to?

In the Immortal Instruments book series by Cassandra Clare, the characters treat eating, wounds, and fighting as if they were nothing but slight hindrances. For example, when heroine Clary gets cut by another character, she describes it as a "metal kiss," a mere sting that brought blood.

Would I view a cut or wound in such a way?

During M. Night Shyamalan's film The Village, Ivy Walker must journey through the forbidden woods to obtain a medicine for her dying lover. In the woods live terrifying creatures, and sure enough, Ivy encounters one. Luckily, after some scarily close encounters, she outsmarts the creature.

Could I do the same? Or would fear paralyze me?

In the epic movie series of The Lord of the Rings, there are almost too many examples to count, but I'll name a few. Frodo and Sam travel for eons, it seems, with hardly any food or water, and they're barefoot for heaven's sake! On top of that, the ring saps Frodo's sanity and strength. As for Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, they fight battles just about endlessly, and Aragorn even fell off a cliff. Eowyn and Merry fight and survive a battle of frightening proportions. All of the characters take a beating, both in body and spirit.

Would I survive all those things like they did? Could there be any hope for me?

And, though I only listed each story's physical hardships, could I endure the spiritual, mental, and emotional ones as well?

Samwise Gamgee, one of my favorite characters from this amazing series, said this:
"It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something."


I love this. This is how those characters not only survived, but eventually thrived, in each of the stories I mentioned. 


This brings me to my life. As I said earlier, I've always wanted to embark on an adventure, and whatever form that adventure might take, I want to be ready for it. For the past couple of months, my personal character has withered, leaving me disheartened. But now, after I've tripped up a bit, after figuring some things out, my fire is burning. Much like Sam said, the shadow has passed, and the sun shines so very brightly on every single point in my life. Though I may not know what lies ahead, because of this, I am ready for it. 


Bring on the adventure!