Of adversity and adventure

Being an introvert, I have always had an aversion for adventure. Anything that has the capacity to throw me off balance or to make my stomach flip even just for a second is enough to make me want to bail out. Fast.

 So when the idea of having a Region 8 adventure with some friends popped up. I could only manage to gulp and feign excitement. After all, at 22 and always playing it safe, it was time for a shot of excitement—real excitement—in my life.

 Truth be told, although Region 8 has been one of the areas I’m covering for my job, I’ve never really had the time to go beyond the usual Ormoc and Tacloban routes to enjoy it fully. Looking back, I can say that was two years put to near waste.

 Our first stop was the Agas-agas Zipline that stretched from the very top of a cliff right at the edge of the Agas-agas bridge, down towards the jutting piece of rock and earth at the opposite side. If the thought of flying like Superman across the country’s tallest bridge wasn’t enough, one of my friends decided that we should walk through the entire length of the bridge and gaze over the dizzying elevation just to build up on the excitement before each of us took off zoomed towards the other end.

 At that time, the only thing running through my mind seconds before I was pushed into near oblivion was that everyone who ever went through this zipline made it out alive—and in one piece.

 From Tacloban, we journeyed to Guiuan in Samar where we decided to take a crash course on surfing. I never really told any of my friends that although I did know how to swim (well, the dog paddle is still considered swimming, right?) I was just incredibly scared of open water and huge waves because I didn’t really know what lay on the other side of the ocean, and that I didn’t really know what lay underneath that heaving blue mass.

 But I went for it anyway, knees shaking, heart pounding as my instructor and I took on the water. I tumbled off the board, hit my forehead with the surf board, scratched my bottom on the coralline floor, and downed gallons of sea water for attempting to ace something that looked incredibly easy to do. It was then when I really had a new found respect for surfers—especially those who took on waves the size of mountains.

 The incredible thing about this trip wasn’t really knowing how to surf (yep, standing on the surf board for like 3 seconds before getting wiped out) or getting it over and done with with the Agas-agas zipline. But the incredible thing about the Region 8 adventure was how strong the lessons of that incredible week ring through even in the adventure that’s called life.

 From being totally averse to adventure, I’ve been totally drawn to it in the context of being totally open to new experiences. After all, life is just a one shot deal. And a life that’s spent always playing it safe? It’s a life that’s rendered meaningless because it is devoid of experiences that will make us grow into better, more fearless people. You never really know when your story will end. So whether it’s an epic novel or just a short story, it pays to make it one hell of a read.

 One important lesson from zip lining? Know when to spread your arms and just let go.You’ll be surprised at how exhilarating life can be when we stop controlling its speed just to enjoy the ride. It can be scary. It can make you scream the hell out loud. But at the end of it all, you just can’t help but look back and realize that letting go allowed you to have the time of your life.

We didn’t have it easy, travelling on a budget and roughing it completely. But we had the best time. I guess life’s like that too. It depends on how you see the challenges and difficult times that come your way. After all, as one of my friends told me, one can always choose to see adversity as adventure.