鈥淲hat鈥檚 new?鈥
Lately, this polite attempt at small talk has been my kryptonite. It may seem benign and friendly, but to me it sounds vaguely like a challenge. As in: Is your life interesting or not? I鈥檒l mentally scroll through recent days, only to see a blur of hectic mornings, school drop-offs, a lunchtime run on the same old trail, piles of e-mails, dinner, bedtime stories, toothbrushing, lights out. The lack of immediately recalled highlights always leads me to the same dreaded response鈥斺淣ot much, what鈥檚 going on with you?鈥濃攆ollowed by a brief existential crisis. Is there nothing new happening with me? Am I a soulless automaton?
You get the picture. As the editor of 国产吃瓜黑料, I work at a place where I鈥檓 inundated by cool trips and inspiring adventures, but I spend a lot of hours lamenting the fact that I don鈥檛 have time to embark on any of my own. Then a friend pointed me to the website of and blew up my can鈥檛-do paradigm. An itinerant traveler, author, and motivational speaker, Humphreys preaches the gospel of microadventures, quick outings that offer 鈥渟omething different, something exciting鈥攂ut cheap, simple, short, and on your doorstep.鈥 Spontaneous weeknight campouts with friends. Running your ten-mile commute instead of getting in the car. A full-moon hike on your favorite trail. Humphreys鈥檚 blog is loaded with ideas for bite-size novel experiences to snack on all week long. Never mind getting overwhelmed by planning an ambitious weekend escape. As Humphreys rightly points out, most of us have nine-to-five obligations Monday through Friday, but they鈥檙e sandwiched by five-to-nine blocks that we tend to neglect.
Never mind getting overwhelmed by planning an ambitious weekend escape. Most of us have nine-to-five obligations Monday through Friday, but they鈥檙e sandwiched by five-to-nine blocks that we tend to neglect.
Inspired, I grabbed the kids after work one Friday night, bought a few slices of pizza, and marched them up a mellow peak behind our house. Olive, six, and Cash, four, complained the whole way up, but once fed we watched an epic sunset, and they were laughing the whole way down. The impromptu outing seemed to recalibrate the weekend.
The following week I walked them to school, including a 颅novel route up a dry riverbed where we collected stones along the way. After our first big snowfall, I skinned up the Santa Fe ski area on a Monday morning before work. I recruited seven friends to join me for a Wednesday night run up two of Santa Fe鈥檚 steepest mountains, Picacho and Atalaya, by headlamp. Atop the latter, we posed briefly with proud smiles, the city lights twinkling behind us, feeling like we were getting away with something. The day after Thanksgiving, instead of using the long weekend to relax, I took Olive and Cash two hours south to Socorro, New Mexico, to see the thousands of sandhill cranes that migrate each year to the Bosque del Apache. I鈥檝e wanted to see that spectacle for ten years but could never seem to find the right window of time. We got it done in 24 hours鈥攁nd squeezed in a detour to a trampoline park and a legendary diner in Albuquerque.
Each of these excursions was inexpensive and quick, yet I remember all of them distinctly. Am I happier? Probably. Studies have shown that humans are hardwired for adventure; when we make unfamiliar choices, our brains reward us by releasing dopamine, a key neurotransmitter effecting positive emotions. If nothing else, by slotting in just one or two micro颅adventures per week, I鈥檝e found a way to mark time instead of just logging it.
So what鈥檚 new? I鈥檓 glad you asked. Last night I slept at the top of Sun Mountain.
Continue on聽国产吃瓜黑料‘s quest to boost happiness:
Strategies for a Healthier, Happier Life
5 Ways to Gain Control Over Your Technology
What Dogs Can Teach Us About Being Content
The Science of Happiness, Illustrated