Adventure, for me, comes not only in memorable incidents but in big broad strokes. It's not just the thrill of small challenges but also an attitude toward living—and the reason to live. Not only jumping into a white-water raft for a weekend (though that's great fun), but chucking it all and going to live an 'impossible' life.
Not that I'm an adventurer. I'm not the kind of person you'll regularly see hanging from some cliff or swimming with sharks (though those are both great fun). I can't afford that lifestyle, and I'm simply not a swashbuckler. I don't exactly lead an exciting life, and I'm certainly not one of those obscenely accomplished can-do guys.
But I once wandered off to Australia for three months that turned into sixteen, and spent five years living in Japan, where despite no competency in the local language I attempted to start my own business. While the business didn't take off, my life sure did; in that country I found a wife and accomplished a lot, and even produced a record of time in a photo books. I left for both Australia and Japan without what you might call a safety net.
Of this wing-and-a-prayer lifestyle, people say things like:
and
and
I recognize that almost everything I have, I have due to luck.
To wrap up this introduction to this autobiographical collection of articles on the things I've done, I'll add one thing. I can no longer imagine living in a fashion whereby I'd know where I'll be in a year, or what I'll be doing. Not knowing where you're going, not knowing how you'll get there, and not knowing what you'll do when you get there is, after all, the reality for most of us. I think most people just imagine that they know those things, when in reality they don't. We're "living in interesting times". Terrifying times, perhaps the most important time in human history, the great unwinding of a three-century orgy of resource gluttony. I believe that not only is it business as usual, and that we must live before we dies, but that rather we should chuck everything we've been taught about life and learn to thrive on our own without the institutions and ways of thinking that the orgy instilled. A time of real chaos is coming, and it is up to us to train ourselves to live beyond our comfort zones.
travel
Stories about my travels, and tips for travelers.
career adventures
My adventures while pursuing a dazzling career in Information Technologies.
writing
My adventures in writing.
adventures in living abroad
I've lived most of my life in Canada, the land of my birth. But I've also lived in Australia and Japan.
adventures in parenting
When you become a parent, it's like the first volume of your life is closed, and a whole new volume begins.
adventures in photography
I've had a few adventures while out making photos.
a family of adventurers
I come by my interest in non-linear living honestly. It's in the blood of the families of both parents.
adventures in creating things
All of my various creations, from fiction to tattoo designs to wood carvings.
adventures in creating things
All of my various creations, from fiction to tattoo designs to wood carvings.
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