The time I heard "life is an adventure", I immediately thought that the only possible way to experience that was to pack a backpack, open a map and let my finger choose a destination; whether I would find myself in a gondola in Venice, or on a hot air balloon over Kathmandu, it didn't matter as long as I was far away from the well-known place I lived and everything around me was new, unknown and exotic... In fact, I have lived the life that way – travelling, crossing oceans, setting foot on almost every airport in Europe, changing countries, meeting new people, loving new places. Our world is a fascinating one, full of excitement and wonder, after all, and when we move somewhere new, the adventure begins... But then, as time passes by, everything starts to become more normal, less exciting, irritatingly predictable... the wonder of the not so new surrounding somehow undetectably fades.
Now, I believe that we don't need to do something dramatic or risky in order to have a more adventurous life. As time passes on, I have learned the substance of the following brilliant thought "Adventure isn't hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain. Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day to day obstacles of life." (John Amatt).
Now, it seems to me that packing the backpack and circling the globe is less challenging and less fulfilling than to live life in a constant state of wonder every single day despite where you are. We all can make our lives adventurous and surprisingly beautiful as we pay attention to seemingly ordinary moments of the everyday in an attempt to see our same, well-known world as a whole new universe. Even if we have lived in the same street and worked the same job for a long time, there are still wonders to be discovered, simple pleasures to be experienced and amazing things to be seen...
humble flowers,
mellow fruits,
unforgettable sunsets,
sunflowers ready to harvest,
abandoned houses full of stories,
inspiring books,
fresh water,
hot coffee,
walnut trees,
kind faces...
Life is, indeed, a beautiful adventure. Stay awake for it, pay attention, find excitement in the ordinary... Adventure is an attitude.
What have you done to add excitement into your everyday life?
Please, share your adventure in the comment section below and you will have a chance to win a copy of the premiere issue of Bella Grace.
You haven't heard of Bella Grace yet?
Well, it is a wonderful artsy new publication of Stampington & Company and I am more than delighted to be a part of it. With a folding, book-jacket cover, the magazine that is more like a book, showcases delicate images of everyday beauty as well as inspiring thoughts of simple and slow living. In honour of the first volume, Stampington & Company invited a number of artists, bloggers and photographers to participate in a Bella Grace Blog Hope through the entire month of August. You can visit other artists' posts and receive more chances to win a free copy of Bella Grace.
Comments will remain open until Friday, September 5th, 2014 and the winner will be announced in the following blog post.
Thank you for taking the time
and thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you, dear readers, friends and family for voting for me in the annual Top 30 Toronto Mom Bloggers search at TorontoMomNow.
I won!!!
2014 Toronto Mom Blogger is Sylvia from Sylvia's Simple Life!
I owe you guys for that one!
You are amazing!
Now, I believe that we don't need to do something dramatic or risky in order to have a more adventurous life. As time passes on, I have learned the substance of the following brilliant thought "Adventure isn't hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain. Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day to day obstacles of life." (John Amatt).
Now, it seems to me that packing the backpack and circling the globe is less challenging and less fulfilling than to live life in a constant state of wonder every single day despite where you are. We all can make our lives adventurous and surprisingly beautiful as we pay attention to seemingly ordinary moments of the everyday in an attempt to see our same, well-known world as a whole new universe. Even if we have lived in the same street and worked the same job for a long time, there are still wonders to be discovered, simple pleasures to be experienced and amazing things to be seen...
humble flowers,
mellow fruits,
unforgettable sunsets,
sunflowers ready to harvest,
abandoned houses full of stories,
inspiring books,
fresh water,
hot coffee,
walnut trees,
kind faces...
Life is, indeed, a beautiful adventure. Stay awake for it, pay attention, find excitement in the ordinary... Adventure is an attitude.
What have you done to add excitement into your everyday life?
Please, share your adventure in the comment section below and you will have a chance to win a copy of the premiere issue of Bella Grace.
You haven't heard of Bella Grace yet?
Well, it is a wonderful artsy new publication of Stampington & Company and I am more than delighted to be a part of it. With a folding, book-jacket cover, the magazine that is more like a book, showcases delicate images of everyday beauty as well as inspiring thoughts of simple and slow living. In honour of the first volume, Stampington & Company invited a number of artists, bloggers and photographers to participate in a Bella Grace Blog Hope through the entire month of August. You can visit other artists' posts and receive more chances to win a free copy of Bella Grace.
Comments will remain open until Friday, September 5th, 2014 and the winner will be announced in the following blog post.
Thank you for taking the time
and thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you, dear readers, friends and family for voting for me in the annual Top 30 Toronto Mom Bloggers search at TorontoMomNow.
I won!!!
2014 Toronto Mom Blogger is Sylvia from Sylvia's Simple Life!
I owe you guys for that one!
You are amazing!
I do believe this is the most beautiful post you've ever written. There's so much I would love to quote. Your photos are ALWAYS stunningly beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you Elizabeth! Your are always generous with your encouraging words.
DeleteI carry my camera everywhere, looking for an amazing moment or an amazing thing to immortalize through my lens. My favorite thing is horses, but my eyes are peeled for anything awesome! The magazine looks amazing...thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting, Robinanne! Everyday photography is truly inspiring.
DeleteGood morning my dear and lovely friend. I have missed your musings and wonderful photography! I have had an ADVENTUROUS summer as I have finally picked up my camera without fear of making too many mistakes, and the results have been eye-opening. I so agree with your musings here that adventure need not be an EXTREME but a more in depth and unexpected experience in our daily lives, here on the ground (instead of up in the air somewhere!)
ReplyDeleteI have had teacher meetings all week in anticipation of the first day of school on Monday, August 25. School is earlier this year, and I am SURE that I'll experience some new adventures as I enter my second year of teaching high school. But 12 years experience in teaching have taught me there is a constant at no matter what age level: ADVENTURE!
Please come to visit when you can; I have my own photos up for a change! Anita
I cannot wait to see this magazine, it calls out to me!
ReplyDeleteI finally, in my 40's, realize that being adventurous might mean stop listening to everyone else, and pursue my own quiet life. In this society I suppose that is adventurous!
Congratulations on your win! What an asset you will be to the premiere issue of Bella Grace. I am so inspired by these gorgeous images. The color is amazing. You have captured so well a beautiful moment of the season. Taking time to see beauty is always an adventure!
ReplyDeleteSo grateful I stumbled upon your photos...words... precision of heart. Just lovely and to be savored. I find adventure when I listen to that quiet little voice and follow the guidance. One door after another opens and the adventures are endless.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Sylvia on your well deserved win!
ReplyDeleteAnd Congratulations also on being included in Bella Grace. ♥
I just love this H op and if Bella Grace is anything like this hop I know I'm going to love it!. . . .
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Sylvia! Your blog is so beautiful and you deserve it. Blessings, Pam
ReplyDeleteLovely post - loved all the pictures.
ReplyDeleteYour photography was an adventure! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI am so pleased to have discovered your blog via this blog hop. My adventure has been to take up art journaling despite having "known" that I am no good at art. I have had immense pleasure from just doing it & not worrying whether or not it is any good.
ReplyDeleteSo true. I'm a homebody. I have always found adventure in new books, films, plays, projects, and relationships. Every enrichment is an adventure.
ReplyDeleteI love your beautiful photos. Whether you go to exotic lands or stay in your own backyard, there are wonders and adventures waiting to be found. You just have to look for them. :-)
ReplyDeleteA written gratitude practice helps me be aware of small everyday moments of joy: morning light, fresh running water, snuggles with my dogs that would otherwise get little notice.
ReplyDeleteI am taking online classes that transport me around the world!
ReplyDeleteI quit my part time jobs so I could spend more time creating. It's an adventure to see where my creating takes me.
ReplyDeleteI could not agree with you more Sylvia. My life is one great adventure at the moment..... Beautiful photo's as always. Glad to see one of your posts again.
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend!
Madelief x
It's the best way to live : )
ReplyDeleteCongrats on all of your awards!
This looks like a beautiful new
publication, and I can't think of
a more deserving blogger to be
a part of it than you!
xo Suzanne
live life in a constant state of wonder every single day despite where you are.
ReplyDeleteyes.
my latest adventure - i just signed up for four online classes. it's been 13.5 years since i was in college. it's time to finish that degree!
The adventure of everyday is what you open your mind and eyes too. There isn't a day that goes by that I am not amazed by something... It's the adventure of living and discovery!
ReplyDeleteMy earlier days of travel inspired me to return to familiar grounds with a fresh look. Now my children inspire me to see anew the simple and everyday beauty of things. xo
ReplyDeleteMy mother and I just started a blessings list and that has allowed me to see everyday things in a different light.
ReplyDeleteMy summer adventure is foster parenting dozens of monarch caterpillars and watching them bloom into beautiful butterflies, flitting off on their own adventures.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how we are drwn to certain places at certain times. Fate? Like this blog, for example. I stumbled upon it just now...and read this post. It was exactly what I needed to hear/read. Just yesterday I googled 'slow living'. How ironic. Lovely blog. Thanks so much for the inspiration. XO Diane
ReplyDeleteoh the richness in these photos... end of summer moments.
ReplyDeletethe bella grace hop is a lovely way to discover new blogs!
thanks!
Adventures come in all shapes and sizes. Every morning is an adventure, when I go out to my garden to see what has bloomed, what is ripe for picking (today I expect okra, basil, and peppers), and then when we take our morning walk. Yesterday we explored an overgrown wash that was like a jungle hidden right in our neighborhood here in the Arizona desert; in fourteen years we'd never gone there!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your beautiful post and sweet reminder that everyday is an adventure. My personal adventure? Opening my closet every morning and deciding what to wear. My wardrobe is a hodge-podge of thrift store finds and I never know what I'll wind up wearing. Sometimes I wish my life wasn't so adventurous:)
ReplyDeleteLoved your pictures and your message of adventure.
ReplyDeleteI try to add a little adventure every day. Most days it is very simple--finding a new trail to walk on or discovering a vegetable or flower in my garden. Love your blog.
ReplyDeleteI visit our local public gardens and rejoice in what new plants and flowers are blooming. It's an adventure every time I go.
ReplyDeleteLiked the message your post gives.
ReplyDeleteOh my Sylvia, life is an adventure and I find I'm always dreaming of some fairytale when I'm out-n-about my town, beach, and many times when I'm with my horse as I seem to find the smallest things that delight me. I love your way of expressing yourself and find it's a lovely talent to have. Your on a wonderful adventure and I look forward to coming back to see your latest….. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteWarm regards,
Karla
Your post is lovely. I make my own adventure with art, exploring unknown outcomes and trying new mediums. Also, I read, read, read, and am transported to other places through the words and images of others. Thank you for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI loved your question about what I've done to add excitement to my everyday life ~ I've never thought about the word "excitement" linked to my days. But, here's what came to mind - as much as I can, I attend classes. And, every book I read is an Adventure. Congratulations on your win! It is so nice to meet you here.
ReplyDeleteI talk to strangers when the opportunity arises…Always makes things more interesting!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see that other people enjoy the excitement of reading. Congratulations on your win.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your win! I have lived with this "Life's a Journey not a destination." For years and it is so true. I use my card creating finding challenges to keep the excitement going, Love reading and finding blogs like this one. TFS.
ReplyDeleteAt 55, I am opening my eyes to adventure- taking chances, saying yes, walking across bridges (and daring to look down). Loving the fact that there is much to look forward to!
ReplyDeleteIt's not so much what I've done as what's been done to me...a yearling, female, Redbone coon hound as adopted me and thinks I'm the bomb because she gets treats, meals, fresh water and SLEEPS IN THE BED WITH ME. Oh joy! A puppy is joyful, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your win...well done!