By Carrie Williams
Years ago I decided when it came to my adventures I was going to do what I want when I wanted. I wanted to try new things whether it be with people or by myself. With this blog I invite you to join me in going outside and trying more.
My love for the outdoors started when I was a child. I didn’t make the connection to my childhood until recently. When I reflect on those joyous carefree moments of adolescence I think about my room. My sacred place, a place where I would spend 18+ years being molded.
My room was in the back of my family’s home. I had a huge window that, as a young kid, seemingly covered my entire wall. We had a forest, a jungle, trails, the abyss in our backyard, or that’s at least what I would imagine. It was all so great. A huge backyard with beautiful large trees that touch the sole of God.That’s where the love sparked,countless days and nights I stared outside of that window in amazement and awe. Although then, I didn’t foresee this parallel and very early on my love for the outdoors became apparent.
I remember convincing my brother we should tie ropes around our waist and try jumping/climbing out of my room window. To give some context, I was on the second floor so probably a 10 foot drop for a couple of 12 and 13 year olds trying to defy gravity. For me, that was my first introduction to bouldering, scaling the side of our home felt like I was facing Eldorado Canyon head on and it most certainly didn’t stop there.
Childsplay
I was the kid climbing baseball fences for fun to see how high I could go.
I was the kid climbing on top of the jungle gym and walking along it like a tightrope.
I was the kid swinging so hard and high on the swing set that at one point I was just vertically dropping, I still remember hearing the harsh clinks of those rusted steel chains as I drop down like a sack of potatoes.
I was the kid riding my bike so fast down a hill I ran smack into my neighbor’s car, flipped over the car into the grass.
I was the kid who tied rope to the back of my friends bike and roller blade down a hard uneven paved concrete street, just for kicks. (I hurt myself pretty badly by the way)
I was the kid who with the help of my brother and cousins skateboard down this huge hill that led right into oncoming traffic.
As reckless and irresponsible as all this sounds, it shaped me in many ways. I could go on forever about my “adventurous” childhood. During these escapades I was rarely alone, either family or neighborhood friends were right there accompanying me. But, as with most people, you get older and you’re more conscious and the realities of danger and logic are far more convincing than idle childsplay.
I’m sure you’ve heard, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11). But for me, this particular “child-like” side of me never grew up, I couldn’t put it away. I’m curious and intrigued by the physical world around me, it’s not enough to just see something, I have to experience it. I have to live it. Fear has never been a deterrence, if anything it’s probably what drives the rush. Weirdly, being scared fuels me.
Welcome
I’m creating this space because I want to share my experiences and to get others to be more curious about the world around them. Which of course, doesn’t mean you have to go out and start bungee jumping…but go out. Go out and explore, search for local nature trails near your community, meditate during a walk and talk to God, take risks, do something different and uncomfortable and let’s talk about it.
“I wanted to try new things whether it be with people or by myself.”
