There's an unmistakable thrill of pushing yourself and completing a challenge. Of taking a risk and coming through safely on the other side.
My friend and I completed the ironman triathlon this summer. 6 months of training culminated in a 6 hour high of physical exertion, energy waffles and cheering fans. Best moment of my summer by far.
My brother and soon to be sister in law summited multiple peaks of the Rockies. Years of muscle building and skill development allowing for a 2 week adventure together before their wedding day, marking a new phase of life to celebrate.
My wife hiked 8 hrs through the Costa Rican rain forest in the Cordillera mountains. With only the food and water they could carry in their packs, she overcame physical and mental challenges, leading both her team and herself on this monumental hike and then a subsequent week-long adventure that will forever change their lives.
Life is exciting when we thrill ourselves.
But you can't exist in the thrill. The moment passes and we have to go back.
As much as we love the adventure, we weren't designed to maintain life in these phases.
It's misguided to attempt to exist daily at this level.
I wonder if some of the dissatisfaction we experience in our relationships stem out of an effort to exist in the highlights rather than in the journey.
Every relationship has a first date and a first kiss.
Maybe a proposal.
Maybe just a prom-posal.
There are wedding days, anniversaries, Caribbean vacations and all kinds of other things that make the cut of Instagram and bring us excitement.
But no relationship journeys in constant excitement. There are 20 times as many Monday evening laundry folding "adventures" in a year as there are wine-sipping, watching the sunset in a tropical place, celebrating a relational milestone Monday evenings.
Any relationship that can't enjoy and thrive in the journey will struggle.
A relationship was never meant to sustain a constant feeling of thrill with each other.
We were designed to journey with each other. To support through the hard times, to laugh at the funny things and cry together through the sad ones.
And when it becomes mundane, we look into each other's eyes and remind ourselves that there is no one else I'd rather be journeying with. Just because a certain month or phase of relationship is more of a journey than a thrill doesn't mean something is wrong with the relationship. Yes we need moments for thrills. Thrill-seeking leads to dissatisfaction. We end up breaking commitments we made to each other because it's been a few min this since we felt this kind of spark.
As a couple, Amanda and I have committed to planning out and scheduling in moments for thrills. Adventures together to create memories. Individual challenges and goals we set for ourselves. Moments that we can spend our mundane hours dreaming about. Because there are inevitably going to be times when life feels mundane. It's in these moments that I am so glad I have a partner that has committed to journey with me, rather than trade me in for some new hiking adventure.
My friend and I completed the ironman triathlon this summer. 6 months of training culminated in a 6 hour high of physical exertion, energy waffles and cheering fans. Best moment of my summer by far.
My brother and soon to be sister in law summited multiple peaks of the Rockies. Years of muscle building and skill development allowing for a 2 week adventure together before their wedding day, marking a new phase of life to celebrate.
My wife hiked 8 hrs through the Costa Rican rain forest in the Cordillera mountains. With only the food and water they could carry in their packs, she overcame physical and mental challenges, leading both her team and herself on this monumental hike and then a subsequent week-long adventure that will forever change their lives.
Life is exciting when we thrill ourselves.
But you can't exist in the thrill. The moment passes and we have to go back.
As much as we love the adventure, we weren't designed to maintain life in these phases.
It's misguided to attempt to exist daily at this level.
I wonder if some of the dissatisfaction we experience in our relationships stem out of an effort to exist in the highlights rather than in the journey.
Every relationship has a first date and a first kiss.
Maybe a proposal.
Maybe just a prom-posal.
There are wedding days, anniversaries, Caribbean vacations and all kinds of other things that make the cut of Instagram and bring us excitement.
But no relationship journeys in constant excitement. There are 20 times as many Monday evening laundry folding "adventures" in a year as there are wine-sipping, watching the sunset in a tropical place, celebrating a relational milestone Monday evenings.
Any relationship that can't enjoy and thrive in the journey will struggle.
A relationship was never meant to sustain a constant feeling of thrill with each other.
We were designed to journey with each other. To support through the hard times, to laugh at the funny things and cry together through the sad ones.
And when it becomes mundane, we look into each other's eyes and remind ourselves that there is no one else I'd rather be journeying with. Just because a certain month or phase of relationship is more of a journey than a thrill doesn't mean something is wrong with the relationship. Yes we need moments for thrills. Thrill-seeking leads to dissatisfaction. We end up breaking commitments we made to each other because it's been a few min this since we felt this kind of spark.
As a couple, Amanda and I have committed to planning out and scheduling in moments for thrills. Adventures together to create memories. Individual challenges and goals we set for ourselves. Moments that we can spend our mundane hours dreaming about. Because there are inevitably going to be times when life feels mundane. It's in these moments that I am so glad I have a partner that has committed to journey with me, rather than trade me in for some new hiking adventure.
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