Challenge between adventures

Blogging can be about anything, right? I’ve posted about food, music, places, etc. But today I realized it was time to write a post to myself. One of my favorite things about writing is the ability to empower readers through my words. When I learn something I write it down and share what I’ve written with others in hopes they can learn something too. I find I learn so much from my own experiences; what kind of writer would I be if I didn't share that knowledge?

Recently I’ve felt like I’m always living on the edge of something new — a new adventure, a new friendship, a new job. I love this because, for me, change means challenge, and the more I challenge myself the more I learn and grow.

Right now, I’m in a valley — a lull between two adventures. To make that literal, I’m spending this lull in State College, or “Happy Valley” itself.

But why had I been thinking of this time as a “lull?” Coming down from the mountain of adventure can be just as challenging as the climb. Meaning, I can learn just as much from change as I can from returning to normal.

During my time away from home, I was constantly aware of the new perspectives budding in my mind. I could feel an energy of personal growth inside of me. But what good is growth if it’s only temporary?

The challenge of coming home is applying what adventure has taught me in new ways. The exterior of the life I’ve returned to may be the same, but I myself am not. I have new outlooks to incorporate into everyday life, new questions to ask those around me, new habits to practice, new values to cherish. If I can maintain all of this, the life I’ve returned to isn't really the same at all. The interior has changed because I have changed, and that makes all the difference.