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The Price of Adventure
Last week I was in Whistler, Canada conducting a one of our Learning Vacations. My partner Lindon and I went up there a few days early because we wanted to do some business planning and to also go Helicopter Boarding. Turns out that as we were being picked up to be driven to the heli-pad, the driver found out that the helicopter wouldn't be able to take off because of bad weather. So we went regular snow boarding instead and re-scheduled for the following day, when the forecast called for clear skies.
The next day the van arrived and the weather was gorgeous. We were all excited with some nervous anticipation as we drove about 30 miles to get to the heli-pad. There we underwent some safety avalanche training while we waited for the helicopter to arrive. During this time, some fog rolled in that prevented the helicopter from landing and picking us up. The guides said not to worry, because we were going to a higher location where the helicopter would have no problem landing. To make a long story short, after we moved to this new location, we waited for nearly 3 hours for the fog to lift. By the time we finally gave up, we had spent close to 6 hours waiting to go heli-boarding.
Needless to say, we were not only disappointed that we didn't get to heli-board but that we had wasted an opportunity to go regular snow boarding as well. It was then that Lindon said: "I guess that's the price of adventure."
As I thought about this, I realized how true this is. In order to live an Xtraordinary Life, you must be willing to pay the price. And sometimes the price comes in the form of "wasted opportunities." You must put yourself in a position to take advantage of something, but there is no guarantee that you will be able to capitalize on it. I remember hearing Zig Ziglar say long ago: "if you want a guarantee, buy a toaster!"
As I continue on my quest for an Xtraordinary Life, I'm sure I will continue to pay the price and I will continue to remind myself that it is worth it.
Technorati Tags: Adventure Travel, Xtraordinary Living
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2 comments:
Thanks for the reminder. It always makes disappointments (occasionally inevitable if I'm open to adventure)easier to swallow remembering that others have to deal with their things too, and of course Zig's toaster example is priceless. Now I'm considering heli-boarding, something I had never thought about! Thanks! Ahhh, delicious lemonade.
This is a great reminder. Reflecting on my recent trip to Macchu Pichu, I realize the price of this adventure was a sprained knee, as my judgment about how to tackle a hike was not the best. But my knee is now healed and I learned a lot from the experience. Had I to do it again, I would be more realistic and better prepared for the hiking, but I would most certainly opt for the adventure! So there is a cost to adventure, but it sure has a lot more to offer than the toaster!
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