Liz Fletcher Brown on the BayYesterday I was feeling somewhat unmotivated and didn’t have my usual energy. The words I used were “like a slug”. Just didn’t seem able to get much accomplished.

By late afternoon my husband, Francis, was done with work. He doesn’t usually finish that early and so he wanted to take advantage of it.  His idea was to go for a boat ride on the Chesapeake Bay. And he wanted me to go with him.

I felt I needed to stay home and “be productive” to make up for my rather non-productive day.

But he insisted. So off we went.Chesapeake_bay_boats

It started off lovely and very soon I was so glad I chose to get out of my office. By early evening there were so many boats out on the water. It was beautiful.

But then a storm rolled in. The sky got rather dark and you could hear the thunder in the distance. And it kept getting closer.

We decided to try to get back to the dock as quickly as possible. I have to say, it was rather exciting. We flew through the waves, staying just ahead of the storm, all the while keeping our eyes glued for crab pots. The sky continued to get darker and darker.

We were almost back when the sky opened up and the rains came. And it was heavy. Very heavy! Within seconds we were both soaked through.

Luckily there was no lightning, for which I was grateful. But it rained so hard it was difficult to see. Despite that, when I looked at Francis with water pouring off him I couldn’t help but laugh. He laughed too.

It was still torrential when we reached the dock, so we quickly took care of the boat and ran for the house and dry towels. We both felt exhilarated. I had been transformed from a slug to an energizer bunny. I felt so alive and energized.

It made me realize that we all need a bit of adventure now and then to get us out of our routine. And it doesn’t need to be something huge. For me, a simple boat ride out on the bay did the trick.

Today I still feel energized from it, and, yes, I’m getting things done 🙂

So what do you need to do to add more adventure to your life?

Sometimes, it seems like a luxury, but taking time out to renew and revitalize us can actually lead to getting much more done in the long run. And it’s a lot more fun.