Welcome to this month's edition of Adventurous Life!
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In this issue:
How's This for a New Year's Challenge?
I walked into the lunchroom at work the other day and overheard a conversation about a diet contest that would be starting in January. As far as I could tell, contestants will put money in a pot at the beginning, and again for each week in which they don't lose weight. The person at the end who has lost the most wins the pot of cash. Then I overhead another conversation later the same day in which someone said, "Oh, but everyone will be dieting in January."
I wanted to cry out "Not everyone!" I, for example, will not be dieting in January. In fact, over fifteen years ago, I vowed never to diet again. That and a bicycle trip across the country changed my relationship to my body forever. As I discovered on that bike trip, there's nothing like getting enough exercise to give one's body a voice about what it really wants to eat and -- perhaps even more important -- to keep one's emotional self on an even keel.
It's easy enough to say "Throw away your scales, find something you love to do, and move your body at least 20 minutes each day," but listening to those conversations at work reminded me that, for many of us, there's more to it than that. Like almost everyone I know, I still have insecurities and self-loathing that crop up occasionally -- refusing to weigh myself doesn't stop this unfortunate facet of growing up in a culture fixated on youth and thinness and sparkling white teeth. But here's the thing: the moment in which those insecurities crop up, there's an opportunity to choose your direction in life.
What's the point of hating yourself? If you've been doing that for years anyway, it's hardly an adventure anymore. This year, choose to love your body regardless of its dimensions, its abilities, its blemishes. No, I take that back -- don't love your body regardless of these, but because of them. See what if feels like to spit in the face of those ingrained notions of beauty. Take your body out for a spin. Learn what it can and can't do. Pay attention. Go sleeveless. And for goodness sake, don't participate in the diet lottery! Instead, put the money you would normally spend on weight loss clinics and the latest miracle diet book into a jar each week and spend it on a fabulous vacation.
(All this is, of course, written with the usual caveats about me not bearing the slightest resemblance to a medical professional -- heck, I don't even play one on TV.)
While many of us give generously and will continue to donate to organizations raising money to aid in the relief efforts of individuals, families, villages, and cities impacted by the numerous natural disasters that have taken place this last year, here's an Adventurous Life thing to consider: what about taking this opportunity to volunteer your time?
During the hurricane season, so many volunteers were needed in the southeastern U.S. and abroad that organizations like the Red Cross/Crescent were actually taking limited numbers of volunteers who hadn't already undergone their disaster relief training (usually a prerequisite). When disasters this large strike all at once around the globe, help is needed on many levels -- monetary donations to support the relief efforts, as well as troops of people to help fill out piles of paperwork, drive delivery vans with water and supplies, distribute bedding, clothing, and food, rebuild the infrastructure, and comfort survivors.
While most international volunteers are experienced at large-scale disaster relief, their absence means there's even more need at home. Relief organizations not only deal with international disasters, they also shelter families whose homes have burned down or been lost in a mudslide -- or whose furnace has died in the middle of subzero winter weather. Now would be a great time to get trained and volunteer your time for domestic disaster relief, so you're prepared for the day when your skills are needed as part of a team that responds to disasters anywhere in the world.
If you've got vacation time at work, consider offering your services to a relief organization (e.g., Red Cross/Crescent, United Nations Volunteers, Oxfam, Habitat for Humanity) -- maybe your employer would match your vacation donation or give you a leave of absence so you could add your skills and energy to helping people who've lost everything.
Travel 101: But I Don't Speak the Language -
What Phrases to Learn and Why
This is a biggie for people. We live in a culture where we don’t often have to deal with people who don’t speak our language (and we’re not always that patient or sympathetic when we do), so of course we don’t know quite how we’ll get our needs met while abroad. When I started traveling, it was a fear for me, too. Now I can’t think of anywhere I wouldn’t go because of language concerns...
Read the complete article on my web site.
A
Woman's Europe
edited by Marybeth Bond
Described as "a collection of inspiring and entertaining true
stories by women about their travels throughout the Continent,"
this anthology includes essays by authors such as Frances Mayes ("Under
the Tuscan Sun"), Jan Morris, and yours truly.
Nine
Hills of Nambonkaha
by Sarah Erdman
Erdman's well-written depiction of adjusting to life as a Peace Corps
volunteer in a Cote D'Ivoire village is an entertaining and culturally
sensitive read. Described by Publishers Weekly as an "engrossing,
well-told tale certain to appeal to armchair travelers and to anyone
-- especially women -- considering international volunteer work,"
this book is worth having on the nightstand.
North
to the Night by Alvah Simon
An articulate and motivational account of the challenges
-- both physical and personal -- faced by the author and his wife
when they follow his dream of sailing into the Arctic to spend a winter
alone (just them and the polar bears at 60 below), trapped in the
ice. Simon does a terrific job of balancing practical details with
descriptions of the awe-inspiring landscape and his interior experience,
making for a very enjoyable read.
Touching
the Void by Joe Simpson
You may have seen the movie (and if you haven't, I highly recommend
it!), but the book is considered one of the best depictions of the
inner experience of mountaineering ever written. Editorial reviews
describe it as follows: "What is it that compels certain individuals
to willingly seek out the most inhospitable climate on earth? To risk
their lives in an attempt to leave footprints where few or none have
gone before? Simpson's vivid narrative of a dangerous climbing expedition
will convince even the most die-hard couch potato that such pursuits
fall within the realm of the sane. As the author struggles ever higher,
readers learn of the mountain's awesome power, the beautiful--and
sometimes deadly--sheets of blue glacial ice, and the accomplishment
of a successful ascent. And then catastrophe: the second half of Touching
the Void sees Simpson at his darkest moment. With a smashed, useless
leg, he and his partner must struggle down a near-vertical face--and
that's only the beginning of their troubles."
Stumbled across any books you've found particularly inspiring lately? Movies? Web sites? Share the inspiration! Drop me a line with your recommendations, and I'll pass them along to other readers.
"A little kindness from person to person is better than a vast love for all humankind."
- Richard Dehmel
Top 5 Ideas to Inspire You This Month
- Choose a name out of the phone book and send them flowers with a note that this is a random act of kindness intended to make their day
- Learn to ski (snow or water, depending on your season)
- Lock your television in the closet for a month -- find something else to do
- Take an art history class -- then go visit a museum that has a collection of your favorite artist or period (nice excuse for a trip!)
- Shovel a neighbor's driveway
"Travel doesn’t start when you walk out the door. Your trip starts the moment you decide to take that trip.“
- Rolf Potts
#75 Borrow someone's dog and walk it in a park. With the dog on a leash, let him or her lead you to a neighborhood adventure.
This everyday adventure is from "A New Adventure Every Day: 541 Simple Ways to Live with Pizzazz" by David Silberkleit, excerpted with the author's permission.
About the author:
Judy Wolf is a world traveler, freelance writer, speaker, and whitewater kayak instructor. She's taken many long solo journeys around the world, traveling by foot, bus, jeep, camel, truck, boat, train, plane, elephant, and bicycle to over 30 countries on five continents. Her work has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Far From Home: Father Daughter Travel Adventures and A Woman's Europe. She's currently working on a book about her most recent adventures…that is, when she's not plunging off waterfalls or entertaining the dog.
Learn more at www.judywolf.com.
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Copyright © 2005 Judy Wolf
