You won't know unless you go!
My grandfather on a trip to the wilderness around 1950. (Pictured on the right).
“You won’t know unless you go.” Some of the best words my grandfather ever spoke to me. My grandpa was an adventurous man. I loved hearing his old stories about driving to Alaska in an old car with his best friend, with just a map, to hunt Moose and Caribou amongst Grizzly bears. He probably got the idea from reading a hunting magazine and decided he’d give it a shot.
Amongst his collection of adventurous gear he had stacked up over the years was an old aluminum drift boat for fishing rivers. A boat that you have to row down river, with no motor. Something my brother and I always thought would be cool to do, but we both knew nothing about, when we looked at that old boat in his yard. One day we were visiting my grandpa and were talking about salmon fishing on the Trinity River, in Northern California, not an easy river to navigate with its large boulders and low water during the summer. Maybe we could reach all those fishing holes nobody could get to without a boat. But we thought we couldn’t do it, maybe we’d hit a rock and sink the boat, we had no idea what we were doing. it wasn’t safe. He responded with, “Well, you’ll never know if you don’t go”. This wasn’t the first time I’ve heard him say that.
I’m happy to report we survived the trip but not without some close calls. Scared for our lives, we rammed a few boulders and almost ran over a fisherman in the middle of the river, who wasn’t happy with us. From the onlookers on the shore, I’m sure we looked like idiots spinning in circles down the river, barely controlling the boat. To our young selves, it was a wild adventure and we somehow came out unscathed. We still crack up remembering that day.
If you let it, life can lead you into some big and little adventures. Maybe you’ve been playing it safe. Maybe there’s some things you’ve been afraid to do: a girl you’ve wanted to ask out, a business you’ve wanted to start, a conversation with your spouse you know you should have. Maybe trying therapy and exploring the wilderness of your heart or facing those issues you’ve been avoiding is a big adventure. My advice to you is give it a shot, “you won’t know unless you go”!
Josh Burnett is an individual and couples counselor in Charlotte, NC. He has helped many couples, men and women connect with their faith, values, self and others. His big-heart, depth of understanding, and ability to relate, help his clients feel comfortable to share the hard stuff, heal, and grow.