Semi-tough
Today I got a little deeper into my "Outta Control" memoir. It led me to think about the differences between Jim and me as adventurers.
I'm grasping for an image to describe the relationship. I'm kind of like that archetypal kid sister who wants to be like the big kids, who is nervous but completely trusting that the big brother knows what he's doing. I was never a kid sister, so I must be thinking of the movies.
Jim was the one with the long legs. I could impress him with my strategic planning and my suitcase organization but my traveling legs were still shorter. Mentally, I was always running after him saying "That was great! Are we done yet?" And he'd be the one to say (in so many words), "Are you kidding? You ain't seen nothin' yet! Come on, kid!"
This says something about me but I'm not sure what. I've sometimes thought that adventure is best enjoyed in retrospect. ("Okay, I got my thrill -- can we go home now?") Maybe Jim is closer to those classic adventurers who are energized by the movement itself, too restless to stop, determined to wring every chill out of every thrill.
12.3.2008
