The Action-Adventure Gene

I wonder if there is such a thing as an adventurous gene. If I look at my family, my mother is definitely missing the adventure gene: 41 years in the same house (even though the first day she walked in to the newly built house she started to cry cause the kitchen was so small), spent the bulk of her life at the same job (even though she was quite unhappy the last years she worked there) and can’t leave her purse out of her sight for fear of someone stealing it. My father, on the other hand, was more of an adventurer: went to New York with only 10 cents in his pocket (so the story goes), in his 30s he went back to school to become a teacher even though he was married, was the main bread-winner in the family and had a couple of kids… oh, and he would also let us run in the rain and thunderstorms in our bathing suits when we were kids (much to my mother’s endless panic).

If there is such a thing as an adventure gene – I have it. Let’s see… I’ve picked up and moved to a new place/job where I didn’t know anyone more than once. I’ve left the security of a long-term relationship because I knew it wasn’t right. I’ve taken on the challenge of running a half-marathon in another country (even thought I had never ran before) and then ran a full marathon, all while raising funds for charity. I’ve bought a house all on my own… which I think takes a little guts.



The question of the day is: is this adventure gene good or bad?
My Mom feels safe in her home and her surroundings so living here 41 years might be a good thing. My Dad left a potentially paying career in engineering to become a teacher – a job he was immensely passionate about. So in that sense, they are probably good. However, maybe my Mom would have been happier had she left her job for something else in the last years of her career or maybe my father could have avoided a huge financial stress on his family had he just stuck with the career he was in?

What the heck am I babbling about now?
Well, I think I might have figured out a way to keep my house AND go back to school full time (the dog might have to wait, though). Yeah – craziness, I know. The realization that this might actually BE possible has got me wondering if it’s just my adventurous gene kicking in for a good buzz or am I really thinking clearly if I’m contemplating this change? Am I just an adrenaline junky who can’t live without something dramatic in my life or am I making a wise decision.