Month: August 2021

At the beginning of the year, I started an online Adventure Club with friends, family, and some of their friends who I didn’t know. It began as a way to have fun, try new things, and keep in touch before people had been vaccinated for the coronavirus. 

Each week, I would send out an email with an adventure idea, such as “look for wildlife,” “listen to new music,” or “shop at an ethnic market.” Then, members would email the rest of the group to share what they’d done. [I ran the club for six months.]

One week in June, the suggestion was to do something on, in, or by water.  

Normally, I’d look up the weather at the beginning of the week and plan what days to go on adventures, but I didn’t do it that week. I had a few ideas for destinations (to a lake, a waterfall, or a river), and I figured I’d go Friday or Saturday. When I finally did check the weather late in the week, I saw that rain and flash floods were predicted for Friday and Saturday. The predictions came true.  

At first, I was bummed that my plans had been spoiled the weather. Then I realized that what was ruining my plans was rain, which is water, which was the theme for the adventure that week. I thought about a story I’d read in one of self-help author SARK’s books. If I remember correctly, she booked a beach vacation, got to the hotel, and it started pouring rain. Instead of pouting, she put on her swimsuit and a pair of shorts and took a walk in the rain.  

That sounded even more adventurous than what I had planned, since it was out of the ordinary. When the next downpour came, I was ready, in shorts, flip flops, and a rash guard. Water ran down the roads so fast and in such a quantity that I felt like I was at a water park! I waded through the streets of my apartment complex, sometimes ankle deep in water, kicking and splashing. The best part was being completely calm in a situation that I’d probably feel apprehensive about under normal circumstances, if I were trying to stay dry.  

When I was almost back to my apartment, I passed a young couple with a small child walking in their swimsuits, too! How fun to see some other people out, enjoying the situation. I was hoping we would start a trend. If nothing else, maybe the idea got planted in some imaginations, and maybe someone who saw us will try rainwalking during another storm.  

This story serves as an example of a positive twist on the proverb about best-laid plans. The day didn’t go as I’d originally planned, but my water activity ended up being more creative, spontaneous, and fun than anything I’d thought of. I went with the flow, so to speak, and worked with what showed up that day, instead of fighting against it.