Dora the ExplorerJeff the Adventurer

I'm just rolling along here, getting ready for the last few shows in Cincinnati, which will be followed by Tear Down madness (the second-last Tear Down of the North American Tour). It seems a bit of an anti-climactic week here for some reason. I'm not sure why -- the numbers are good for both me and the show in general, the staff continues to be good, I've had my three days off in a row. I guess I'm just a bit numb on account of the fact that the next city doesn't really interest me all that much, and that it will be the last where Lucky, The Hire Guy, Tower Girl and I will all be together.

I've started to apply for other jobs outside the company. I'm not sure if it's anything to get excited about just yet, but we'll see shortly. How much luck do you really have when you apply to an internet posting, after all? Hmmmmm. That's how I got my current job.....so maybe one of these opportunities will be converted into a new adventure.

Come to think of it -- just rambling here, folks -- why do I always refer to these things called adventures? In my last post, I said I was heading to Columbus for an adventure. I just now said that I'm hoping to start a new adventure, career-wise. I suppose that's how I see my life: as a series of new and different and exciting adventures. When one ends, a new one starts. When that one begins to look like it's hit its expiry date, I search out a new one. And I feel really proud of myself for having this sense of, well, adventure. This attitude helps me seek out new chapters in my life and new learning experiences. It shows that I'm comfortable challenging complacency, and am doing a fairly good job of growing and changing.

I've struggled recently with the lack of real permanency in my life. I suppose that's because it's been three years since I felt it, having moved to Australia without knowing how permanent that would be, followed by my escape to this crazy nomad touring lifestyle. I love the ability to experience new places and people, and think that a combination of permanency and travel would be ideal. Ya, like who wouldn't want that, right? But when I say I seek new adventures, I need to be clear on something: I don't just mean the next travel destination or new city. Heck, I've done that, sometimes with less-than-optimum results.

Nope, a new adventure and a sense of permanency are not mutually exclusive. You can find adventure in your own backyard, if you're open to it. You can embrace opportunities for newness wherever you are. For instance, I felt a sense of adventure in the 11+ years that I was with my old employer. I felt a sense of adventure because there was something new and different and (often) exciting happening all the time. So I guess by adventure, I really mean that I search out new opportunities for growth, both professionally and personally.

Professionally, I need to feel a sense of affiliation with a company that I work for -- or at least would like to feel that. I want to believe in the end product or service that we're producing together. I want to feel like my service philosophy and management style are congruent with that of the company. I want to feel that cultural fit.

Personally, I love to feel that I'm getting opportunities to see new things. Whether it's a new city, a new play, a new blog, a new friend, or anything else, I like to feel that I have a chance to observe. I need to feel that I'm experiencing things in my personal life that are making me richer in a spiritual sense.

And that kind of search for affiliation and growth is what life is large means to me.

Three of the jobs I've applied for would give me a mix of permanency and travel. We'll see if any of them materialize, but at least I've started the process. On the other hand, my next job may not involve a glamourous traveling lifestyle. It may not be well-paying or make people jealous when I say, "Oh ya, I work for insert cool company name here and it's awesome." Still, I'll consider it a new adventure. After all, it has to be. If it isn't an adventure, it probably isn't right for me.

So I'll look to our next city as having the potential for new adventure. This city may be winding down rather anti-climactically, but the next new opportunity to learn is just around the corner. Cheers to the next adventure!

PS: You know, sometimes I scare me. I started to write a post because it had been a few days since my last one. I was thinking that I'd just scribble something like, "Not much happening. Tear Down blah blah blah..." and sign off. Sorry for the lengthy, wince-inducing glimpse into my current state of mind. I just have a lot on my mind, with the impending departure from tour of Nebraska Girl and the recent news of the passing of a young Canadian athlete that I greatly admired.

OK, now I'm done : )