Mental Adventuring

The best adventures are not always the ones that we find physically. They can and from time to time, be mental. Summer is a great time to re-engage that inner child of ours. I’m talking about the one that we can have from reading a great book of fiction, fantasy, or sci-fi.

I am thankful that the one thing my father before he passed got me into was reading fiction/fantasy/sci-fi over my summer trips into Chicago as a kid. Every time I grabbed a different story it had the same affect. It got me into another world or place. I felt like I was Bastian in the Never Ending Story. Those were my best adventures in the summer. And I never really went anywhere physically.

The video arcade is down the street. Here we just sell small rectangular objects. They’re called books. They require a little effort on your part, and make no bee-bee-bee-beeps. On your way please. – Mr. Koreander, The Never Ending Story

So in an effort to practice what I preach and I’m going to join you on this adventure. I’m going to read a new novel by Curtis C. Chen called Waypoint Kangaroo. Super interesting. It’s got spies. It’s got a spy that literally has the power to enter a pocket infinite parallel universe he uses for his work. And civil unrest between Mars and Earth. A super adrenaline sci-fi thriller, I’m all in.

I’m going to read it in a week. That’s going to take some discipline and disconnecting from tech to accomplish. I can read fast if I am locked in with no disruptions and I’m sure I can get it done in a week as long as I disconnect. That’s the adventure. To be all in with the narrators/storytellers of the story as you read.

Don’t like full books to read or want a shorter read to get started? Here’s some other options for you:

• Grab a comic book. There are so many options from Sunday funnies to single comics of just 24 pages in length, to full size graphic novels of 100+ pages.
• Pulp mags. Several Sci-fi pulps out there like Asimov’s Science Fiction, Strange Horizons, and Weird Tales to name a few. Quick reads you can pick up in each mag and just get lost in sprints.
• Good Reads. Huge index of just tons of popular quick reads. Here you can not only peak your interest with something, but learn from other reviews on what might be good to pick up.

Summer is a great time for joining social reading groups too. My local library has not only reading clubs for adults happening all the time, but ones for the kids too. It’s something you can drop your kid off for and take in yours for a little separation/you time at the same time/same library. Check into your local library for more. Or, better yet, just go to your kids reading club and read the same book together. Learn from them how fun a mental adventure can be.

Take a time out, get lost in a book adventure, and find yourself refreshed. Hope you’re enjoying the summer. I’ll let you know how the challenge to finish this in a week goes.

✌🏻Shawn