Yesterday was a lovely day. We had a variety of tasks we wanted to accomplish. Susan planned to connect with her sisters on a video chat. I wanted to trim some weeds around the beehives at the farm. We wanted to do a bit of back-to-school shopping with our grandchildren. We planned a family dinner. Since we were traveling for the last couple of weeks, it would be good to sit at the table and reconnect. And we needed to do the usual chores of getting ready for Sunday. I’m preaching this morning at an island church near our home. I’m out of the routine of preaching. When I was preaching regularly, we avoided having too many plans on Saturdays so that I could spend some time thinking about my sermon and preparing for the Sunday activities.

Things didn’t go quite as we expected. On my way to the farm, I had a flat tire on my bicycle. I carry a tire pump and a patch kit. I even carry a spare inner tube. However, I have found that it takes quite a bit of time to repair a tire alongside the road. I called for help, and our son came and picked me and the bicycle up and gave me a ride home. As a result, I missed out on the planned bicycle trip to and from the farm. I had only ridden about 3 miles of the 15 I had planned. The adventure also took enough time that I still haven’t trimmed the weeds at the farm. That will have to wait until tomorrow.

We met as planned for lunch and school shopping, and there was time to prepare a family dinner. I fixed the flat tire on the bicycle. I went to a farm stand near our house for fresh sweet corn, and we had a dinner of chicken, potatoes, corn, and fresh fruit salad. In addition to the fruit we brought home from our trip, I had picked pears in our son’s orchard in the morning. The pears are really plentiful and very good this year. I also added a few berries from our freezer, which we had picked earlier.

With all of the activity, we got to the end of the day, and at 8 pm, we had not yet taken our daily walk. We put on our shoes and headed out, knowing that it was nearly time for sunset. We arrived at the beach just as the sun slipped below the horizon. There is smoke in the air from wildfires in British Columbia, so the sunset was bright orange. The sky was almost cloudless, with just a few clouds to reflect the color. We sat on a log and watched for a few minutes. It was an unexpected treat at the end of our day.

Although we often seek routine, our lives are enriched by surprise. Sometimes shaking up the routine, even an act as simple as changing the time of day we go for a walk, can give us unexpected pleasure. There is something profound within us that drives us to explore new activities and new places. Brain scientists teach that when something positively surprises us, we receive a surge in dopamine that we experience as pleasure. This experience keeps us seeking new adventures and drives us to explore.

Children are natural explorers. They enjoy mixing things up and trying new ways of play. Our youngest grandson likes to go down the slide at the playground. At first, he might go up and down several times. Then he’ll mix it up, trying to climb up the slide instead of going down. It is something that all of his siblings have done. He is seeking a new adventure. Children are constantly inventing new and creative ways to play.

I enjoy stepping outside of my comfort zone, taking a path where I don’t know how it is going to turn out. Sometimes my urge to explore means a bit of discomfort. When I realized I had a flat tire on my bike several miles from home, I was uncertain about how to handle the challenge. I could have repaired the tire on the side of the road. I could have locked the bike and walked home to get my truck. I decided to use my cell phone to ask for help, and help arrived quickly. Once I got the bike home, I could have taken it to the bike shop to have the tire repaired, but I was curious about what had happened, and I had the tools and equipment to fix it myself. In addition, there was another hit of dopamine and a surge of pleasure when I finished the task, feeling proud that I know how to make the repair correctly.

At my age, the urge to explore is unlikely to lead me to some of the huge adventures I have imagined. I’m probably not going to kayak from Alaska to Russia. I’m unlikely to climb the highest peak on each continent. I don’t plan to spend weeks skiing across Antarctica. However, I know that there are simple ways to explore, adventure, and experiment. I know how to step out of my comfort zone. I am more careful about weighing risk and reward than I was when I was younger, but there are still many reasons to take risks.

All humans have limits. Knowing our limits and realizing our boundaries is essential to fulfillment in life. Unnecessary risk is to be avoided. I don’t want to incur major injury. I may invest more time in planning, but I hope I never lose my sense of adventure. I hope I never stop exploring. I know that I can find joy in changes of plans and at times when things don’t work out. Even when those things happen, I don’t regret trying.