On a scale of 1 to 10, how adventurous is your life? How many new places and new experiences have you had recently? I’m shifting my Get Real series to Get Out for the summer, which goes with my own shift from more introspection to extroversion as spring turned to summer and I realized I felt a bit like Walter Mitty – only a mommyfied version of him.

Walter Mitty is played by Ben Stiller at LIFE magazine where he processes negatives that go into the magazine – which is turning digital. Though LIFE is all about adventure around the world, poor Walter hadn’t really gone anywhere. On the dating site, he really couldn’t list any interesting places he’d been or things he’d done. I’ve done a fair amount of traveling, but my feeling was more about wanting to embrace my adventurous spirit which was laying at the bottom of the heap of unfolded laundry.

A couple of those a-ha moments were a) I needed to get out more and b) I wanted NEW experiences, big and small. I already had the will – now I just needed to find (MAKE) the way.

The next bit of inspiration to live with intention and adventure this summer is thanks to Marina Keegan who died in a car crash shortly after her graduation at Yale. But she lived a big life in a short time – much more than Walter had lived into his mid-life. Marina loved to write and her family and editor at school compiled her works into THE OPPOSITE OF LONELINESS. I love that her words live on. Here’s an excerpt:

But let us get one thing straight: the best years of our lives are not behind us. They’re part of us and they are set for repetition as we grow up and move to New York and away from New York and wish we did or didn’t live in New York. I plan on having parties when I’m 30. I plan on having fun when I’m old. Any notion of THE BEST years comes from clichéd “should haves…” “if I’d…” “wish I’d…” – Marina Keegan

So let’s not wait. Let’s have adventure NOW, not waiting for the perfect moment, the financial windfall, the age when you THINK your kids will be less cranky. Put fun shit on your list and go do them. They don’t have to be “bucket list” things, either. They can be pocket-sized, lunch-hour sized, Saturday-afternoon sized. They can be alone, with a friend, the other half, with or without the kids. They can be planned or spontaneous. It doesn’t matter. Just do them. 

Each week through August I’ll share some of my new Get Out Adventures on this blog. Of course this keeps me accountable, but I already have a lot to share from the last week! I won’t write much so I can save my time for DOING the things plus working on my new novel.

I hope Walter, Marina and I can inspire you to Get Out, too. If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter I’ll use the #GetOut hashtag for photos and posts and I’ll start a new Pinterest board called Get Out Adventures. You can find me @malenalott on each one.

HAPPY SUMMER!

First Top 6 Get Outs from May 20-June 1st.

1. Hiking Wichita Mountains with girlfriend Kelley McGuire. Yes, Oklahoma is beautiful. Just Get Out and see for yourself. (Cheap day trip!)

2.GIRLFRIEND ROAD TRIP:  hip and contemporary ALOFT Hotel in Tulsa Memorial weekend (w/Wingfields): 2 girlfriends, 6 kids, #eatLocal @JoeMommas Pizza. We also saw the beautiful historic Mayo Hotel. Who do you need to reconnect with? What hotel have you been dying to see?

3. ART + OUTDOORS Photo Slam and Rooftop Happy Hour @OKCMOA = see the city from a higher point of view and EVERY OK sunset is gorgeous. You deserve a happy hour from on high, don’t you?

5. Double Date Night @Packard’s OKC and Ambassador Hotel rooftop (7th floor) for drinks (w/Bacharachs) Who have you been wanting to double date with?

 

6. BEING BRAVE at the Riversport Adventure obstacle course (Sky Trails) @ Boathouse in OKC ($20 or $35 adventure pass)

 

Until next week, Get Out of here! xoxo, Malena