My first adventure – before I even started calling it Adventure Wednesdays.  People often ask me how did Adventure Wednesdays start?  It started simply, by making the decision to change how I did things, to change how I looked at life, to find what I truly enjoyed doing for fun.  It started quietly, with the first evening being a night when I didn’t have to rush home to my kids (since it was my ex’s night to have them).  I left my office, walking out a different exit, let the stop lights decide which direction I would walk in, and took my time to look at the buildings I normally never saw.

My first venture out

The Crooked Knife will always have a special spot in my heart. I took this photo to remember it as a place where I wanted to return.

The Crooked Knife.  This was my first “discovery” when by chance the stoplights had me turn on 30th Street in Manhattan.  Although I had passed a few other restaurants, this one appealed to me.  It looked welcoming and friendly.  I didn’t go in that first evening, I didn’t feel ready to risk looking foolish being by myself. It took a while, but I finally got up the nerve to go to the Crooked Knife alone.  This was also a time when I discovered most of my friends were not available to go out mid-week.  

I sat at the bar, ordered dinner and basically took in the surroundings.  I’m no stranger to eating alone (being in sales and traveling often), but this was different.  I wanted someone to come talk to me.  I’m not the type to cruise bars alone, so this was different for me.  My first adventure.  My first purposefully putting myself in an unknown situation.  My meal was nice, the people at the place looked “local” and I enjoyed people watching.  I left after eating.  The only person who spoke to me the whole evening was the bartender.  (As a side note, this was before having your nose in a cell phone was acceptable.  I had no distractions.)

Learning from Failure

My first adventure out alone was a challenge.  I had expectations or hopes of meeting people, maybe future friends.  Maybe this could be considered a Failure since no one approached me.  However, I didn’t see it that way!  I had conquered my fear of just trying something new without being disappointed if “nothing” happened.  Even if it was something small, it helped me gain confidence to keep trying new things, new adventures.

Shortly after, former co-workers wanted to get together.  I remembered this cute, welcoming restaurant and it was selected as our meeting place.  We had a fun  reunion with unexpected people who showed up, and with all the laughs we shared. This was the reason why taking myself out on adventures is good for me.  I learned that, for me, sitting in a bar alone is not fun, but discovering great places to connect with friends is my idea of fun!

Good times laughing with friends is always the best result of adventures.