Adventure vs. Routine
Two Sides of the Same Coin
When I was eighteen years old and fresh out of high school, I participated in a year-long leadership training program in Europe. During that time, I raised money for service projects through door-to-door fundraising. I spent many nights sleeping on the floor of a van, and countless hours trying to break out of my comfort zone in order to speak to strangers. I showered less than ever and I only had two t-shirts in my wardrobe.
I had never been happier.
Every day I marveled at how lucky I was to be in Europe, and I rarely tired of fundraising, because I was experiencing quaint European towns and breathtaking views. Each conversation I had was an opportunity to understand God from a new perspective. Don’t get me wrong—it was the most difficult, challenging, humbling time of my life. But I felt fulfilled, because I was doing something genuinely worthwhile.
When I returned home to California and started college, my life felt as though it were in a drought. After a year of exploring beautiful, historical sights, and lush, green forests, I had to drive through literal desert in order to get to class. This is truly the middle of nowhere, I thought.
The rest of my life seemed to be in a similar rut. I couldn’t appreciate my new, predictable routine: commute to classes and return home. Rinse and repeat. After my grand adventures in Europe, I couldn’t understand how content my parents were in their routines here, back home. I wanted to live boldly, to do things on a large-scale, to see and experience everything! I felt slightly cheated.
Striking a Balance
Life is full of contradictions, and contentment seems to come when we find a balance within these contradictions. Things that seem paradoxical can be two sides of the same coin, and one is often impossible without the other. On a very basic level, we humans crave variety. At the same time, we need stability; I have never met someone who didn’t want a steady income.
The Divine Principle tells us that the world is full of pairs: man and woman, night and day. This is indicative of the “dual characteristics” of God’s being (30). When two opposites strike a balance, such as in marriage, we get a fuller understanding of God’s true nature.
Driving home from school one night at sunset, I realized that the desert offers a clear, wide view of the sky. I suddenly understood why people chose to live here. There seemed to be nothing between me and the pinks and golds and blues. God made this sunset for me, I thought. A sense of peace flowed over me, and I realized that God’s hand is in every corner of the world. While it’s incredible to see the vast beauty of the rest of the world, God’s love exists at home too.
In Europe, balance seemed to come easily. I had nothing and lived simply, but felt full of purpose because of my new experiences. While in school, that same balance came more slowly. I needed to re-adjust; I had physical comforts, but I felt stuck because of the lack of variety. When I was awakened to the beauty around me, I began a long process of learning to see God in the little things, find purpose in my studies, and slowly restore that balance.
Before Balance
I finally realized that even when my life seems “ too simple,” I can make the choice to live boldly. I can have grand moments, even when my life is full of more mundane tasks—like attending class or making sure I’m home to feed the family pet. I can choose to call somebody I haven’t spoken to in years; I can choose to go on a micro-adventure. I can also choose to value the people I see every day and appreciate the comfort that comes with routine.
Whether you are a jet-setter or a homebody, you are the one who chooses how you perceive your life at any moment. I now see that there is great heroism in contentment and commitment to routine, and I try to embrace that in my own life. It took a lot of reflection to get to that point, and I grew in the process. We can harmonize the contradiction in our lives, but getting there is a process of reflection and conscious choice. And that process is just as valuable as the outcome.