Create Your Own Adventure

third year aysha jerald

photo by emily haynie

I was eighteen years old when I first ran away from home.

Yes, I know. Eighteen is perhaps a little too old to fulfill middle school fantasies. However, the hidden wardrobe in my basement didn’t take me to Narnia when I was eight. My Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry letter didn’t arrive when I was eleven. And, by the time I reached sixteen, I realized the Force was not with me and gave up all hope of becoming a Jedi.

I’d spent my whole life waiting for an adventure. I convinced myself that one day, I would escape this mundane existence, pick up my sword, wand, and/or lightsaber, and summersault into an alternate universe. Yet, at eighteen, I finally realized my adventure was running late. I wanted to do something daring and exhilarating. I wanted to run away.

So, I did.

After less than a week’s worth of planning, my two best friends and I flew to New Orleans, Louisiana. We stayed in the heart of the city for about a week, encountering the Force of music, mythical-looking witch-doctors, and a few two-legged, fire-breathing beasts. I had the best time of my life, because I was no longer waiting for my adventure. I was living it.

There are some of you who are still waiting for your adventure. Stop waiting. The only way to escape this mundane existence is to take chances. Go find your alternate universe, create your own adventure, and treat yourself to a spontaneous moment. Better late than never.