I often buy Adventure Passes. I don’t find them advertised as such, so I have to look hard for these passes. They are hidden in plain sight.

For me, an Adventure Pass helps me get out of my comfort zone or Zone of Familiarity. Here is a recent example. I bought a Coffee Pass. It gave one free coffee at about 30 independent coffee shops around my hometown – an Adventure Pass. This would nudge me into travelling all around my home, down quiet and busy streets – all places unknown.

Economically it didn’t make sense. 

I ordered my free coffee and bought a coffee for my wife, along with two food items. The free coffee is called a ‘lost leader’ in marketing language. They made a good profit!

But I still came out ahead. I met many owners of small independent coffee shops. I bought pounds of coffee for home use. We explored neighbourhoods I didn’t know existed.

Not-for-profit groups sometimes sell books of tickets for discounts to a wide variety of retail services. This can be an overwhelming cornucopia of adventures. So to maximize my enjoyment, I set a target of 5 new services to access. It is achievable and still adventuresome. 

One of the local live theatres puts on a series of 3-4 plays each season. Not all of them catch my interest. But I often buy the series package, knowing I’ll enjoy three of the plays and the fourth will be an adventure. I’m rarely disappointed.

My poor wife. Fortunately, she tells me that she is always up for an adventure with me. I try not to disappoint!

Luckily we have a common attitude toward what an adventure is. It should contain the unknown. Time spent on the adventure needs to have a flexible time frame. It needs to be safe – not 100%, as life isn’t that safe, but for instance, sky-diving is outside my adventure definition. And it is off the chart for the adrenaline rush I could enjoy. It should fit into one of the guide rails for my life – Say Yes More Often. 

Please give this a bit of a think. Identify several ways you might expand your comfort zone. Can you share an example? Remember, there is no right answer, jut an enjoyable diversity that might help us all!

I’m curious about your thoughts. Please share your bit of a think below.

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Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

And my thanks to St. Albert Seniors Association: 780-459-0433 for making this Blog possible.

Volunteer Blogger

TheBlog@stalbertseniors.ca