"Never forget that life can only be nobly inspired and rightly lived if you take it bravely and gallantly as a splendid adventure in which you are setting out into an unknown country, to meet many a joy, to find many a comrade, to win and lose many a battle." ~ Annie Besant, early twentieth century mystic.

 I grew up reading my father's boyhood books--pirate stories, adventure tales, and exciting classics by Jules Verne, Robert Louis Stevenson and Alexander Dumas. Long summer days of my childhood were spent pretending to be an adventurer exploring the wilderness and discovering treasure.

My parents lived in a small house on land owned by my late great grandfather, and then by my Great Aunt Alice. Filled with a sense of adventure, I roamed its fields and lawns, occasionally bothering Carl, the patient gardener, who would let me turn the wheel of his grindstone, or help him pick raspberries if I was good. He even took me fishing, though I do not recall catching any.

My adventures, though all in my own mind inspired me with a sense of eagerness for life as well as a code to live by. The prince, princess, or youth who scorned to help those in need invariably lived to regret it. The one who helped those who called out inevitably won the chase, the princess, the treasure, or all three. I learned that all creatures, no matter how small, are to be pitied and cared for. I understood that even though things might look dark for the hero or heroine, she or he would eventually win the day. She or he had earned the right to triumph because she or he was kind, helpful, and knew enough to persevere despite discouraging circumstances.

In the stories I read growing up, the heroine or hero had to earn what they received. Nothing was just handed to them. In those tales, often those that did not have to earn their way suffered as a result. Sometimes I wonder about the children of today, and whether they will have the stamina to face the difficulties that life is certain to hand them. Will they think of themselves as victims of misfortune or will they perceive themselves as adventurers?

When you see life as an adventure, rather than a trial, it changes the way you approach what happens to you: Difficulties are seen as challenges, disappointments as opportunities to learn and grow. This attitude produces many unexpected rewards: Those who spend their time complaining about their lot seldom see the sunny dandelion blooming in a crack of the pavement or the bright penny winking up at them from the ground at their feet.

As I look back, I see my life as a series of experiences from which I have learned and grown, as well as benefited in many ways. I expect to continue as I have begun, adventuring forth together with the companions I meet along the way, in search of a treasure that, no matter the cost, will always be worth winning.