Why 'Home' and 'Adventure' Should be in the Same Sentence

I spent 80 percent of this weekend driving around in a 1990's Toyota mini-van, and it was one of the most life-giving weekends of my entire life. It was the people, the beauty and the music. It was a camera in my hand, and it was having no agenda. This weekend was perfect.

This past couple of days, I drove around Kangaroo Island in South Australia. It's an island that's about a 30-minute ferry ride away from the mainland, and it's an island that's free from big cities and full of authentic, untouched Australian 'Bushland.' I have to admit, out of all the places we've visited while we've been here, this was my favorite. It trumps Sydney, Carnes and all the above. This is just personal opinion, of course, but for me, it was a wonderful experience exploring some of Australia's most preserved land. It had me wondering, "why don't more people come here?"

I talked to many locals around the Adelaide area before we left for KI, and many of them had never been, and the ones who had been had only gone when they were young. This amazed me. It's a place of such natural beauty, yet people don't seem keen to make the two and a half hour trek to the small island. It seems crazy to miss something so beautiful that's so close to home, yet honestly, it's the same deal for me; I don't explore home either.

Have you ever had the chance to explore what's around you? Or, better yet, Have you ever had the desire to explore what's around you? Your home. I mean like really explore it and appreciate it for what it is. It's super easy to take something for granted when it's close. It's easy to say, "I'll see it sometime. There's always next year." And then you say that for 10 years, 20 years and so on, and then it's too late. You've missed it. You've missed the adventure that was closest to you.

So far, I've missed it. I've missed the adventure closest to me. This is how I've treated my home state, Oklahoma, most of my life.

In reality, Oklahoma has some wonderful natural beauty that I've never taken advantage of. It's home to some of the oldest mountains in the world, the Wichita Mountains, it's home to a mini desert in the Little Sahara, and it easily has one of the most scenic freshwater lakes in the country at Beaver's Bend. I haven't explored hardly any of these places, and these are just a few of the many examples of local adventures that I haven't explored because honestly, what adventure could I ever experience at "home."

How wrong I have been.

The truth is, there's a lot of adventure to experience in one's home. Just like I've taken for granted all the wonder in my own home state, it's easy for others to do the same. No one ties the words 'home' and 'adventure' together in the same sentence very often, but I believe we should. There's plenty of adventure to be had right where you are, so have at it. You'll undoubtably see something you've never seen before. 

Go explore home.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Before you adventure across the world, adventure across your home.  

P.S: If you're interested, and want to join, I'll be planning some weekend trips across my home, Oklahoma, starting after the new year. If you'd like to join, get in touch with me. We'll make it happen.

Why Oklahomans Know How to do 'Homecomings'

Sometimes, you have to leave home in order to realize why you love it.

Leaving home is part of growing up, whether it's moving halfway across the state or halfway across the world, and sometimes when you've lived at "home" your whole life, it's easy to take advantage of the things that make it just that - home.

Growing up in small-town, southern Oklahoma, it was easy to take advantage of home. It was easy to take advantage of the acres of flat land, the friendly, easy-going nature of everyone and the gallons of sweet tea available at every store in town (sadly, not all places have back country roads you can drive trucks down or hunting and fishing available in the back yard). It was easy to take advantage of moving on to college at Oklahoma State University and calling Stillwater, Oklahoma home, another small town. There are certain things about these small towns that you can't find anywhere else, and that's what makes them special.

These are the places where the world slows down and the places that remind you of your roots.
These are the places you have to come back to in order to realize why you loved them so much.
These are the places that welcome you back after a long journey like you just left yesterday.
And these are the places where coming home is welcomed back with celebration.

This weekend marks the highlight of America's Greatest Homecoming Celebration at OSU. It's a time where hundreds of thousands of OSU alumni come back to Stillwater from all over the world to see their Alma Mater. For some, it may have only been one year since they've been back, and for others, it may have been 50 years. It's a time when graduates who have moved around the world to bigger cities and bigger jobs have a chance to come home and see friends and family. It's a time when they can come back and see the things that have changed and the things that have stayed the same.

Oklahomans know how to do homecomings because they know what makes home, "home." After all, it's in the name of the state. Oklahomans know that it's the people, the memories and the small things in life that make home. It's being able to come back to a place you may not have been in years and feel like you never left, and it's being able to come back to a family. OSU's homecoming celebration is just a symbol and small part of the 'homecomings' that happen across Oklahoma each and every day, from college students coming home to visit mom and dad to men and women returning from lifelong journeys. I'm proud to be able to call Oklahoma my home, and I'm glad I get to be a part of some of the best homecomings in the country. I can't wait to be back.

-Cliff

-Cliff's Note: Sometimes, you have to leave home in order to realize why you love it.