My brother’s climbing trip to Denali (Mount McKinley) in Alaska.

Simple Way #26 is to Become an Explorer!  Ok, you don’t have to trek any dangerous trails, you won’t have to climb any mountains and there are no raging rapids.  But you do have to think like an explorer and be up for a new adventure.

Well, I may be building this up just a bit.  Let’s bring it down to a simple thing to do:   Go somewhere new.  Take a different route home today.  Visit a new park.  There are lots of possibilities.

Not too far from our house is a little country store.  My husband and I have lived in the area all our lives and have never been to this store.  (In fact, it is one of the things on Dan’s bucket list!)  So one afternoon, we had the time and were up for a new adventure.  I must confess that that thrill of going there after so many years was bigger than the actual visit itself.

The store was cute; filled with lots of trinkets, patriotic crafts and other items to fill the shelves of your house.  They also sold homemade goat’s milk fudge which prompted Dan to look at me eagerly.  He was excited to try it, but also wanted to support the small store.  I tilted my head down and shook it with a quick and violent “no.”  It wasn’t that I didn’t want to support our local, little country store, it was just my rule about purchasing food from a place that has a terribly strong odor of animal urine.  Are you with me?

So while our visit wasn’t all we dreamed, we enjoyed doing something new.  It was an adventure!  And I love adventures shared with those you love.  

Is there somewhere you have always wanted to visit?  Maybe today is the day.