{"id":25002,"date":"2021-05-01T11:00:55","date_gmt":"2021-05-01T18:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=25002"},"modified":"2021-04-29T10:12:27","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T17:12:27","slug":"facing-fear-to-find-adventure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2021\/05\/01\/facing-fear-to-find-adventure\/","title":{"rendered":"Facing Fear to Find Adventure"},"content":{"rendered":"

Strangers and friends alike (too) often praise me for being \u201cso brave,\u201d when they learn I travel alone or when I set out for a new adventure. I never know how to respond. You see, the problem is every time someone tells me I\u2019m brave I hear Buddy the Elf whispering in my ear, \u201cYou sit on a throne of lies.\u201d\u00a0 Me? Brave? Ha!<\/p>\n

I understand that the perception is based on the final product: a woman traveling alone with her kayak. Sure, sounds<\/em> brave to me. But brave is definitely not an adjective I would ever use to describe myself. The term \u2018brave,\u2019 especially in relation to a solo female traveler, somehow denotes that I\u2019m devoid of fear. Which is really ironic because I feel afraid all of the time. No, really. From the moment I dream up a trip until I\u2019m on my way back home, I\u2019m afraid of something or someone or the mere potential of either or both. It\u2019s a wonder that I manage to leave the house at all.<\/p>\n

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If you met me now, I can kind of see how you would be inclined to think I was always this fearless solo adventurer. I can assure you I was not. Like most people, I cross paths with the idea of doing many things alone was terrifying and stagnating. And while being alone wasn\u2019t part of some well-hatched plan, sometimes it\u2019s just where the hand you’re dealt leaves you. And if being a pediatric emergency room nurse has taught me anything it\u2019s that life is way too valuable (and short) to spend time worrying about the things you can\u2019t change.<\/p>\n

So, when faced with the dilemma of waiting around for someone to go on adventures with me or find a way to have adventures on my own, there wasn\u2019t really an alternative. I either find a way to confront my fears or spend my life waiting for someone to rescue me from my couch\u2014aka not doing shit. So, instead of sitting on my arse, missing out on life as I drowned in self-pity because I wasn\u2019t part of a \u201cwe,\u201d I started to wonder if I was capable of living this awesome life as the only member of team Just Me. But it\u2019s still much easier said than done.<\/p>\n