Written by Molly Green

I look at this painting and am immediately reminded of the Disney version of Pocahontas. She sings an entire song that is dedicated to questioning the path that has been set before her. She wonders whether she can choose the smoothest course that her father has planned for her when she knows that adventure calls just around the riverbend. What awaits her could be scary or thrilling, but she knows it will be life-changing.

I think of the quote I have framed, which reminds me to be brave. It is often erroneously attributed to Mark Twain, but was more likely said by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.’s mother. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

I answered adventure’s calling earlier this year after a series of events that were out of my control pushed me out of my comfort zone and away from everything I held dear. I am, at least, choosing to see my response to upsetting circumstances in that light — as an acceptance of a new adventure. I now find myself starting over in a new city, without the safety net of friends and family. I have sailed away from my safe harbor. 

I think Disney’s Pocahontas, Mark Twain, and Brown’s mother would all agree that when we answer adventure’s call, we can be confident that change awaits us. It is a new beginning and new beginnings are rarely, if ever, easy. You will find yourself longing for the comforts of home, for the familiar, but no story of grand adventure that I know of began because the hero decided to stay home that day.

When I look at this painting and reflect on its title, I think of the wonderment that awaits us, the beauty, the stories we will have the chance to tell when we are brave enough to throw off the bowlines and catch the trade winds in our sails. 

So, here is to new adventures and all of the glorious, beautiful, painful change that comes with them. May we always be brave enough to explore, daring enough to dream, and curious enough to discover. When adventure calls, may we answer it.

New Beginnings is a celebration of stories and fresh starts. Shop the collection at The Scouted Studio, and read more stories on the blog!