Life is an Adventure
Life seems bookended with an adventurous spirit. As a toddler, we were often fearless, inquisitive, and curiosity motivated our every move. As we advance in years, we acknowledge that we have lived a lot of life. With that whole-lotta-livin comes story after story, one adventure after the next in many cases, and a great deal of wisdom gleaned from life’s many twists and turns.
Somewhere in the middle of these adventurous bookends, we live a busy life. The day-to-day routine and ordinary may not seem very adventurous. In fact, this middle section of life sometimes passes by as humdrum or uneventful.
Or is it?
Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, who we now know as St. Pope John Paul II, woke up each morning at 5 or 5:30 and spent the first hour of his day in prayer. After Mass in the chapel with his secretary and personal staff, he had breakfast and then returned to the chapel to write for two hours, between 9 and 11am. Between 11 and 1pm, visitors could call, with no appointments taken. Cardinal Wojtyla would visit with everyone in the room, either individually or in groups. Most days, he was late to lunch, arriving at 2 or 2:15pm, because he insisted on seeing everyone who had come to talk. Afternoons and evenings were devoted to more meetings, visits around Krakow, and to reading and study. He had no television, but listened to a small radio while shaving in the morning.
While John Paul II’s schedule at home may seem mundane or monotonous, he saw it as an adventure. He knew that this is how Christ had called him to live. In fact, John Paul II reminded many others of the unique role that each one of us is called. God has a great mission for each person - an adventure for each of us.
In his words to young people during a Mass in 1997:
“Do not be afraid! Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure. He alone can give full meaning to life, He alone is the center of history. Live by Him! With Mary! With your Saints!”
No matter which bookend of life you are closer to, life is meant to be lived as an adventure. My ideas of adventures used to be (and still are) imagining I’m Wonder Woman or whitewater rafting on a swift river with my family. But life can be an adventure every day - in the normal and ordinary - because we are living life with the supernatural, Christ within us. He gives full meaning to our lives.
My prayer for each of us is that we see life as an adventure. May we be reminded each day of God’s unique calling for each of us. We’re not alone on this adventure. May you see life as an adventure because God has a great mission for you.