231 – Plan Your Next Adventure!

Being A Better Man

Plan Your Next Adventure!

I don’t know about all of you out there, but I am in full blown summer schedule with everything now. You may have noticed that I have only been releasing episodes on Friday lately, that is evidence that I am super, super busy with the things that summer is demanding of me.

Besides the farm, and our property, and relatives visiting and events of all kinds to attend one thing that has had me incredibly busy lately is that I am preparing to go on an adventure. That’s right—an adventure.

The adventure I’m going on is my wife and I are bringing my 81 year old father and his 83 year old brother to the Burning Man festival in Nevada. I’m calling it the generational legacy tour of 2017.

There are lots of different opinions out there about burning man, and there are still some people that don’t even know what it is. Some people think it’s a den of iniquity where the devil’s minions gather. Other people think it’s just a bunch of dirty hippies running around naked and doing drugs. Other folks think it’s awesome and some people actually go to appreciate the colossal art built in the middle of the desert. Some people go to hear the lectures about all kinds of amazing things.

Well, I have been to burning man once in 2015. From my experience burning man can be all of these things, or none of these things. I found that it’s really up to the person going—you get exactly the kind of experience at burning man that you design for yourself. Just like in life.

There are around 80,000 people at this festival. They build an actual city in the middle of a dry lakebed called Black Rock City, and then they tear it down. Burning man has a “leave no trace” ethos. After it’s over no trace is left, no garbage, no cigarette butts, nothing. That in itself is really quite remarkable.

Like any city there are parts of it that I have no interest in, parts that I will avoid. There are other parts that are amazing though.

There are several reasons I like going to burning man. One is simply the challenge of it. You can’t buy any food there. All of your sustenance must be brought with you for the entire week. You are in an extreme environment with blistering heat and cool nights, I’ve seen 70 mile per hour winds there, and dust storms. It’s very much like camping on the moon if it had oxygen. The dirt is fine as talcum powder, nothing grows there and there aren’t even any insects. I love seeing what that extreme environment does to peoples imagination and ingenuity. People come up with truly amazing ways to not only survive, but to thrive out there.

The other reason I like going is to witness the raw humanity. There is every kind of human you could imagine in this place, from all over the world. The labels we are so used to in everyday life seem to fall away. There are rich people and poor people, people of every diverse lifestyle and every socio-economic strata—but they all get along. They all bring something unique, and special to this common, extreme environment.

I also enjoy marveling at the things people have built. Not just the art, but the structures as well, and the amazing vehicles driving around in the desert. As a life long student of humanity, there isn’t a better place I know of to go and just witness humans, being humans.

I wanted to take my dad and uncle to this event because it’s a way for me to provide them with an experience unlike any they have ever had in their 8 plus decades of life on this planet. Isn’t that what life is kind of about? Gathering experiences and doing things you have never done before. These guys are in their 80’s and they have done so many things and been so many places in all that time. I know they have never done anything like this before though, and that’s why I felt it was important.

That’s why I’m talking about this today, because I believe that a key component of being a man is to embrace new experiences whenever you have the chance. It doesn’t have to be burning man, it can be anything you have never done before. That’s what adventures are made of; discovery and exploration of the world around us.

Adventure quickens your spirit and your mind. It causes you to think and wonder. Adventure forces you to know yourself better than you would have otherwise and the better you know yourself, the better man you are capable of being.

This year, part of my adventure will be sharing the experience with the best man I know, my father. It will be a memory and experience we will share for the rest of his days.

So that’s what I’ve been up to, just getting ready for this is a monumental feat. Taking four people to this thing requires a great deal of planning and a lot of work. It’s kind of a big responsibility because how well I prepare will have a huge impact on the quality of experience for the people with me.

What I’ll be wearing at Burning Man besides goggles and a dust mask, is a Stump Town Kilt. I wouldn’t think of going to this festival without it. There will be a lot of kilts there, and many of them will be made by Stump town. For several years my wife has volunteered as a Ranger out there. The Rangers are the interface between the participants and law enforcement. They are there to help people and provide assistance when needed and Stump Town might be official kilt of the Black Rock Rangers. If they aren’t, they should be. I don’t know of any other brand of kilt that would stand up better to the beating it will take at burning man. Not to mention how useful the huge hidden pocket will be out there. I’m taking all three of mine. Stump Town Kilts is the official sponsor of this program however, and one way you can support this show is by going to stumptownkilts.com and checking them out. When you get done shopping just enter the code: betterman at checkout. All lower case, all one word. When you do that you will receive 10% off your entire purchase. If you are going to Burning Man do it now so you get it before August 27th. If you aren’t going, do it anyway so you can have the best kilt available. Remember though, enter the code betterman to get your discount.

In wrapping this up today I really want to stress that one way to be a better man is to plan an adventure with someone you love. Whoever it is in your world. Could be your dad or uncle. Could be your brother or your best friend. It could be anyone that has given something of themselves for you over the years. Think of something neither of you have ever done and plan an adventure. Spend that time and energy on creating an experience that will be with you both forever. In the process you will learn things about your self and each other that are extremely valuable. It doesn’t have to be grand and expensive, it only needs to be a new experience. It could be as simple as a road trip to a city you’ve never been to. Or climbing a local mountain just to see whats on top of it.

I spent several years of my life with no adventures. I was too involved in the rat race. I was too busy working to take the time to explore and discover. Looking back I think that was a mistake. For the rest of my life I’m going to try and have at least one adventure every year…maybe even more.

Well that’s it for today guys. Now head out into the big world and start thinking about your next adventure, and who you will experience it with. Adventure can enhance your life, and help you be a better man than you were yesterday at the same time.

Hey remember to to check out my new book, Forging A Man, available right now on Amazon.

(GET THE BOOK HERE)

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PATREON

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