The Great Adventure
Oh, the cravings of adventure.
On one level, our family is exactly two months into our new adventure living in Switzerland.
Individually, my two boys are in the midst of the “great adventure” of their lives. Living here is part of this “great adventure” as boys.
There is undoubtedly something to be said about boys’ need for adventure. It is engrained within us. From infancy, boys seem to crave kicking rocks down the road, climbing trees, running instead of walking, and/or making anything into a weapon.
“Men are often aggressive. They seem to have an inborn need to fight, to put themselves in conflict with the outer world in order to test themselves and to conquer it.” -Richard Rohr
Living here has only ignited these cravings. The culture here is geared toward adventure and the outdoors. Whether it is hiking trails, walking tours, exploring the mountains, or riding bikes to and from school or work, Swiss culture seems to not only promote a healthy lifestyle but also stimulate boys’ adventure with the outside world. In a way, Swiss culture enhances the spirit of exploration, challenge, and conquest.
As a father, I watch this with great joy and, at the same time, an admitted sense of trepidation.
My two boys’ innate sense of adventure today on the Swiss trails will eventually lead them, if they are open to it, to the same adventure of a deeper sense of self in life. And this is the greatest of adventures. This is the adventure of all adventures. This is the “Journey of their Souls”.
And yet, as I watch them run and find their way through the countryside, my trepidation lies in knowing what they just don’t know yet. That this great adventure is theirs, and theirs alone. They have to take ownership of it themselves. And as hard as it is to climb the mountain today, the next phase of this great adventure will be harder.
The next phase is more challenging because everything necessary for this stage of their lives paradoxically becomes a stumbling block for the next phase. The next part is not so much about conquering as surrendering and trusting instead of doing and being instead of trying. But they need to find that out for themselves. This is what makes me anxious as a father. It brings me to my knees every night in their rooms.
So, for today, I watch with joy as they explore and run on the mountain trails. Tomorrow will come. And when it is time to begin the next phase of their “great adventure,” as they come to see it for themselves, l pray that they remember the adventures of today and the words we talk about…
“Be Jack. Be Andrew. The adventure is hard, and the adventure is not about you.”