The Last Adventure?

As a kid, I loved roller coasters. The amusement park rides that just spun around and around made me dizzy, but I would wait in the roller coaster's hour-long line without question. The slow, anticipation filled-ride up the first hill of the roller coaster was followed by an immediate downhill spiral, and then a series of up and down, left and right moves. I would off the ride, exhausted by exhilarated, my hair disheveled, my stare wide-eyed, and my smile deep and profound. That adventurous spirit never left me, as I travelled to Ecuador as a teenager, Prague as an undergrad, and Japan for two years post-college. But on the brink of marriage and my 30s debut (the big 3-0 is 13 months away and I am already painfully aware), I know that some adventures might stop. I'm more cognizant of consequences, more tied down to the daily routine of writing my articles at work and going to the gym, or out to drinks with a friend, afterwards. But lately I've been thinking that marriage is not my last adventure--it could be my biggest. Full of excitement, surprises, challenges sure, but also rewards. As I prepare for this new phase of my life, I am looking back to my previous adventures to remember how much happiness I got from them.