Yesterday was a cold, blustery, rainy day here. After a long morning of work and an afternoon of deep-cleaning the house, I ran a bubble bath to warm up. Unfortunately, the multiple loads of laundry and dishes I had run must have sapped all the hot water and the bath was lukewarm. So, I did what any sane person would have done. I shimmied down into that tepid water and stayed there in discomfort for a ridiculously long time.

This made me think. How many of us are huddled down in tepid situations because we are afraid of change? Because we know the transition will be uncomfortable? Or maybe because we are in denial about the difference between the expectation and reality? I wasn’t quite ready to let go of the idea of a warm, soothing bath last night, and I knew I would feel colder upon immediately getting out. Still, I had to admit that I felt a lot better once warm and dry and snuggled in bed.

One thing I have noticed that all my favorite stories have in common is a call to adventure. They don’t sit in the mundane, tepid places of the world. They get out there, even when it is difficult. They explore. They wonder. They go to the lowest of lows and the highest of heights. Leaving our lukewarm places may be uncomfortable, but we must understand that life there stagnates. Life is lived in the seeking of new experiences, the thrill of the challenge, and the renewed sense of wonder.