The Adventure AttitudeWritten by Cheryl Perlitz
Of 60,000 people who lived to be over 100 in United States in 2002, single most important characteristic they had in common was their ability to be positive in face of change. They were able to look at things objectively, put them in perspective and move on. They didn’t try to control uncontrollable. Surviving, thriving and living a long happy healthy life may just depend on your ability to develop Adventure Attitude. The adventure attitude is about taking challenges in your life and making choice to look at them as an adventure. As a mountain climber, I see mountains as powerful, awesome, and majestic wonders of nature, that beckon us to accept challenge of climb. Climbing mountain is about trying new things, seeking new adventure, and expanding your life. The adventure attitude allows us to climb our personal mountains with positive attitude, energy and creativity. It allows us to see possibilities in impossible, find solutions to problems, and send us in a new direction. THE ADVENTURE ATTITUDE IS: BEING POSITIVE IN THE FACE OF THE NEGATIVE. We can choose to see our glass half empty or half full. We can look at setbacks with a sense of wonder instead of a sense of scorn and try to see where new path will lead us. LIVING IN THE MOMENT WITH PASSION AND ENERGY. In mountain climbing focusing on path we are taking step by step allows us to notice all small things we encounter along way. If we slow down and appreciate each moment, each moment has more meaning. It allows us to live life to fullest.
| | The River of LifeWritten by Cheryl Perlitz
I’ve always loved awesome majesty of mountains. They are, however, byproduct of rivers that formed them: flowing, adjusting, carving, crashing and gently nurturing land and animals along way. The river carves its way through, and mountains answer as towers of strength. Like river, our lives are forever moving and changing, shaping us as water shapes land it flows through. The water’s FLOW shapes river, shapes land, and defines river’s size along its path. The water reacts to obstacles in its way. It creates pools, channels, and gorges. It also determines habitat and landscape that surrounds it, food sources within it, and animal and plant life that can survive in it. The animals and plants depend on it for life itself. In same way, we flow and adjust, change and contribute along path of life. There is an unseen force driving flow: THE UNDERCURRENT. The undercurrent can be strong and drive flow quickly. Like river, we have a hidden force that drives us. The spirit that drives us can be strong and vibrant; sometimes beautiful, sometimes murky, and sometimes unknown. The RAPIDS result from obstacles beneath surface. We experience turbulence when unexpected changes/obstacles affect us. At times staying afloat seems like an insurmountable task. We struggle to adapt to rapids in our life and find that turbulence becomes part of our life’s flow. WATERFALLS are strong, powerful, one of nature’s greatest hazards and most beautiful phenomena. For us, waterfalls of life interrupt our normal flow with great force and strength. Major life changes throw us into emotional falls, and feelings that are strong, intense and powerful. The waterfall is unpredictable and frightening because we lose control. If we ride waterfall, we can savor feeling that awaits us when we arrive at gentle swirling pools at bottom.
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