“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”

Helen Keller

Once upon a time, the trashy rock band 3OH!3 told us all to shut our lips and do the Helen Keller, and talk with our hips. But for what it’s worth, Helen Keller really knew her stuff. My favourite Helen Keller quote? “Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all.”

This is the way I like to live my life. Famously, I’ve been living in a high-risk high-reward system since the start of 2023. It’s paid off in some massive ways, especially in creating happiness and meaning each and every day.

But in still living a relatively rigid life with a basic structure, I don’t think I do enough to truly traverse the various avenues of what it means to be ‘alive.’

The art of exploration is such a powerful thing, and one that I think brings some of the best days, and some of the most memorable moments.

I came to learn this in the summer of 2021, distracting myself from pain by throwing myself into travels across the province. But it’s always been true when it comes to my adventures out on the trails.

Most of my favourite runs have come the first time I went to a new trail. The first time I discovered something incredible. Like literally yesterday, when I skipped out on some extra elevation gain to explore the other side of a ladder. I put away all my problems, immersed myself in nature, and explored.

It’s the same for life. Most of my favourite moments have come under similar circumstances – discovering something unique and novel for the first time.

I’m reminding myself of this now, because I don’t feel as though I’ve done enough exploring in 2024. With my training, I’ve stuck to the same loops, prioritizing maximal vertical gain ahead of my mountainous summer races in Quebec and Squamish. I haven’t done enough exploring in the form of just going out to a new trail, and having true fun in the beauty of not knowing what twists and turns I’m about to take.

There’s something so freeing and fun about being on a journey of discovery, without fully knowing what you’re about to discover.

I can only imagine that’s how the sailors of previous centuries somehow motivated themselves to stay on boats and get scurvy. They stayed on those boats out of the pure joy of uncertainty. From the thought that maybe, just maybe, something might be worth discovering.

In my quest to control my faith and destiny at every turn, I don’t do well enough to adopt this mindset. I need to remember that the best moments in life often come without knowing what lies on the other side. They come from unique and novel experiences that you sometimes have to seek out, even if you don’t know what awaits. That’s what is worth chasing in life. That’s what is worth exploring. After all, life is either a fantastic adventure, or nothing.

Thanks for reading, and see you soon.