The more I thought about this peculiar habit the more it puzzled me. Do I suffer from some need for self-aggrandizement? Is it not enough to go about the minute tasks of daily life without trying to turn them into quests? What I came to realize is that, in some small way, I want Aberly to understand that life is an adventure and even the smallest, most mundane steps are important in completing the journey. Our family is about to embark on a real adventure. In just a few weeks we will be packing up and moving (literally) to the other side of the world. It is exciting to think of life in terms of these big adventures, but I realize in looking back that this great adventure was only reached through a series of much smaller adventures -- the hundreds of daily lessons I taught during the five years at Sisters High School, the two years I spent earning my MFA, the thousands of minutes spent caring for Aberly, the nights my mom read out loud to me as a child -- all of these things and more have built on one another, built toward this moment that will truly be an amazing journey.
The last book I read with my senior English class at SHS was The Alchemist. I was reminded while reading Coelho's work again that we were designed by our creator to want lives that are significant. Our greatest obligation -- to ourselves and to the world -- is to do our utmost to live out the story that was written for us. This process is not about reaching that final destination. I don't believe that there will be a definitive moment on this Earth where we feel completely and entirely satisfied with all that we have ventured forth to achieve. Rather, I think this journey is fueled by our zeal for the many small steps we take along this path, the hundreds of tiny "adventures" we have on our way toward living the life we were destined for.
