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is out there;
When our daughter Amy was seven she
came up with a phrase, “Adventure is out
there; you just have to go and find it.” She
thought of it after watching the film UP
and seeing one of the main characters,
Ellie, dies before she is able to go on her
‘Adventure of a lifetime’ - a trip to Paradise
Falls. Ellie is, of course, not a real person,
but instead a metaphor for a life of missed
opportunities and it got us thinking.
The saying is now our family motto and it inspires and motivates
us to look for adventure in our everyday lives. Over the past four or
five years we have been going out and finding adventure and
getting dirty, muddy, hot, cold, tired and thirsty in the process… as
well as having lots of fun, of course!
We think that it is important for everyone – children and adults
alike – to look for adventure in life. It doesn’t have to be climbing
Mount Everest or walking around the World because adventure is
what you want it to be; there are no right or wrongs. It’s more
about getting outside and enjoying the outdoors, the wildlife, the
scenery and the fresh air.
One of the main reasons for the growing inactivity in young people,
is the amount time spent in front of screens. It is more common for
children nowadays to feel a connection with technology and a
disconnect with nature and the outdoors; this is not good for
children and it’s not good for nature.
So what is it that’s holding back these youngsters – the ones that
don’t get outside and explore, adventure or just play? Well nothing
really… or at least nothing that can’t be overcome. Everyone has
the potential to enjoy the outdoors – it’s an innate capacity. They
just need to have that first taste, that first experience… take that
first step. But it’s usually this first step that people find the hardest
one to take. Sometimes people just need to be encouraged or
forced to take the first step.
Seeking inspiration
When looking at other adventurers, taking that first step is the
critical one for them too.
Dave Cornthwaite is an adventurer and fellow BAMbassador. His
approach to adventure is that anyone can do it. When talking
about his skateboarding world record, he says that he hadn’t
trained, that he was no expert but this didn’t stop him. He got the
World Record skateboarding across Australia.
His mantra is, ‘Start small… but start’. Again, he wasn’t an expert
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