It’s Friday in Singapore and I spot a pack of secondary school students loaded down with backpacks, all wearing the same blue shorts and yellow t-shirts. I want to believe that they are heading off for an unscripted weekend adventure. My heart smiles remembering all the misguided but ultimately fabulous expeditions I’ve taken over the decades. With or without a structured itinerary, I recommend leaving homes and phones behind for some time alone to experience an unknown world of nature or culture. Immersed in foreign environments, we go deeper into ourselves and our reserves in order to come up with appropriate reactions to random situations. No longer running on autopilot through our routines, life brings out another side of ourselves which is usually just plain fun. And we overcome challenges along the way by rustling up tools we didn’t know we had.
Adventure is a decision you make before you know the outcome. It requires curiosity — the belief that what’s around the corner is worth seeing, even if you can’t see it yet. Children have this by default. Adults have to practice it. Some of us get better at it with age. Some of us let it quietly close down, one comfortable routine at a time.
As the blue and yellow swatches disappeared into the landscape, I wished them and all of us well as we embark into shades of an unknown weekend. Make the most of it.