Road trip countdown: 4 days

Every time I hear about someone's childhood, I hear about their aspirations for crazy adventures. I think my dad wanted to be an astronaut at one point. Some people would go gigging frogs (what does that actually mean?) at the lake near their house. Others would run away, hide in the woods, go camping, hiking, and generally do things that Wild at Heart talks about.

I was never one of those kids.

I distinctly remember being afraid of having to do anything alone, and not living the cushy suburban lifestyle. I just didn't have the confidence that I would be able to take care of myself. I was creative, but not resourceful. I was...suburban. I even remember when I was 6 years old I had to draw a picture of what I wanted to be when I grew up. All of my classmates wanted to be firefighters, pilots, astronauts, park rangers, unicorns, pretzels and other more outdoorsy and risky things. I wrote that I wanted to be an engineer.

Guess what? I'm an engineer! I was safely realistic about my prospects of growing up in Silicon Valley, and thus I fulfilled my dream without having to jump through hoops. I never had a real "dream" career, but I also never had any heart-wrenching moments where I realized that I'd never be able to pursue that dream. I played it safe and comfortable.

6 months ago I read Donald Miller's book Million Miles in a Thousand Years and it changed my dreams. I realized that I wasn't living a story worth telling. What's worse: I wasn't living a story worth sharing with someone. I didn't have anything to offer anyone other than security, and that's not really my job to provide.

Some people have big problems giving up their dreams and adventures and freedom and learning to live where God wants them. Some people need to learn that there is something adventurous about living in a city for a while, investing in a church community and making friends. I think I need to learn the opposite. There's a world out there, and it's worth exploring.

There's a world of hiking, beer tasting, night life, and chili festivals. A world of Utah rock formations, Colorado mountains, and New Mexico summers.

I don't want someone to "settle down" with me. I want to be living an adventure worth inviting someone on.