Let Life Be An Adventure

“This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them.”   Ecclesiastes 5:18

Life is difficult sometimes. Life changes. Life surprises us. Life does not always turn out the way we planned.

But life is still a gift. So let's live it!

A colleague of mine recently reminded me that sometimes we just need to let life be an adventure.

She took a seven-day vacation to Philadelphia and, rather than staying in one place, she caught the bus and train and ventured to Newark, New Jersey, and New York City.

Three states. One trip. Seven days of experiences, exploration and memories.

As she shared her journey with me, I could not help but think about how often we put conditions on when we will allow ourselves to enjoy life.

When I get married…When I have more money…When I retire…When I have more time…When someone can travel with me…

But what if we stopped waiting for the perfect circumstances?

What if we simply allowed ourselves to experience the life that is available to us right now? 

Solomon, in his wisdom, reminds us in Ecclesiastes 5:18 of how we can embrace and enjoy the life God has given us.

There is something very profound about that.

God has given us this life—and there is a responsibility to enjoy the gifts within it.

That does not mean life will always be easy.

It simply means that we should not allow the difficult parts of life to blind us to the beautiful parts.

There will always be something that is not quite right.

There will always be challenges to navigate, responsibilities to carry, and circumstances we wish we could change.

That's the messy part of life.

But right alongside the messy parts, there are moments to enjoy.

Places to explore. People to love. Meals to prepare. Memories to make. Problems to solve. New things to experience. Reasons to laugh. And blessings we might miss if we are always waiting for “someday.”

So today, I am reminding myself:

Life is difficult sometimes. Life changes. Life surprises us. But life is still a gift.

Let's not wait for life to become perfect before we decide to enjoy it.

Let life be an adventure. Live life to the fullest. And press play.