Seven Quick Takes (vol. 10)
My husband honored me on my birthday for having, among other things, a sense of adventure. He went on to say that it was my same sense of adventure that approached him about taking our four young children to Kenya for the summer back in 2006. (Our youngest was only three years old at the time). He concluded by saying that he looked forward to future adventures together.
I like to still think that my sense of adventure is high, but I have also recently been gleaning signs that it might not be what it used to be.
Seven signs of a dwindling sense of adventure:
1. Your teenager isn't sure what your husband was talking about during the above honoring.
2. Your son tells you that you're a cool mom after he is surprised to learn that you like shooting.
3. Your teenager adamantly tells you not to worry as he is leaving for the rope swing down by the river with a couple of friends.
4. You don't even own a pair of "river shoes" or grungy jeans anymore.
5. Your chemo legs can't even hike to the top of Cliffwood without feeling like Jell-O.
6. You can't remember the last time you were on a horse bareback, racing like the wind.
7. Your children are shocked when you want to go skiing, and that you actually know how.
For the past 17 years I have been the pregnant mom or the new mom who stays with the infants and toddlers, making sure they are safe in the shallow water and on sure footing. I have had my bout with breast cancer and have residual side effects that keep my energy levels from bouncing back.
No wonder my older children see me as adventureless. If only they could see me in my younger days.
Seven things my children would have a hard time envisioning:
1. When I would race my horse bareback across the fields on a daily basis.
2. When I would capsize the canoe in the pond for the fun of it.
3. When I needed four stitches in my knee after a biking accident.
4. When I travelled to Germany as a foreign exchange student in high school.
5. When I would play tackle football with my brothers and cousins.
6. When I would wade through the creek waist high and come out with blood suckers all over me.
7. When I knocked my front teeth out jumping snowdrifts with the snowmobile.
I really can't say that I was ever reckless. I calculated all my activities, sometimes quite erroneously, however, my intent was to always play it safe.
Maybe it is time to let my kids KNOW my sense of adventure, and not just read about it here.
However, I must make the following qualifications:
Seven things I will not do:
(This list is not all inclusive).
1. I will not ride the Ninja at Six Flags or any other ride that requires Dramamine. (Been there, done that, not good!)
2. I will not jump from an airplane no matter how many parachutes I'm attached to.
3. I will not get a tattoo.
4. I will not kayak down the Colorado River.
5. I will not take the Marine Mud Challenge.
6. I will not substitute for Chemistry Class.
7. I will not bungee jump anytime, anywhere or anyhow.
Hey, everyone has their limits, and the sooner they realize them, the better.
You can add your own seven quick takes here.
I like to still think that my sense of adventure is high, but I have also recently been gleaning signs that it might not be what it used to be.
Seven signs of a dwindling sense of adventure:
1. Your teenager isn't sure what your husband was talking about during the above honoring.
2. Your son tells you that you're a cool mom after he is surprised to learn that you like shooting.
3. Your teenager adamantly tells you not to worry as he is leaving for the rope swing down by the river with a couple of friends.
4. You don't even own a pair of "river shoes" or grungy jeans anymore.
5. Your chemo legs can't even hike to the top of Cliffwood without feeling like Jell-O.
6. You can't remember the last time you were on a horse bareback, racing like the wind.
7. Your children are shocked when you want to go skiing, and that you actually know how.
For the past 17 years I have been the pregnant mom or the new mom who stays with the infants and toddlers, making sure they are safe in the shallow water and on sure footing. I have had my bout with breast cancer and have residual side effects that keep my energy levels from bouncing back.
No wonder my older children see me as adventureless. If only they could see me in my younger days.
Seven things my children would have a hard time envisioning:
1. When I would race my horse bareback across the fields on a daily basis.
2. When I would capsize the canoe in the pond for the fun of it.
3. When I needed four stitches in my knee after a biking accident.
4. When I travelled to Germany as a foreign exchange student in high school.
5. When I would play tackle football with my brothers and cousins.
6. When I would wade through the creek waist high and come out with blood suckers all over me.
7. When I knocked my front teeth out jumping snowdrifts with the snowmobile.
I really can't say that I was ever reckless. I calculated all my activities, sometimes quite erroneously, however, my intent was to always play it safe.
Maybe it is time to let my kids KNOW my sense of adventure, and not just read about it here.
However, I must make the following qualifications:
Seven things I will not do:
(This list is not all inclusive).
1. I will not ride the Ninja at Six Flags or any other ride that requires Dramamine. (Been there, done that, not good!)
2. I will not jump from an airplane no matter how many parachutes I'm attached to.
3. I will not get a tattoo.
4. I will not kayak down the Colorado River.
5. I will not take the Marine Mud Challenge.
6. I will not substitute for Chemistry Class.
7. I will not bungee jump anytime, anywhere or anyhow.
Hey, everyone has their limits, and the sooner they realize them, the better.
You can add your own seven quick takes here.
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