Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Before There Was Streaming There Were Re-runs
Gather round, younglings! Let me tell you of a time long ago, before streaming movies and on-demand TV shows. Back then, television was broadcast over the air in a fashion called linear. You couldn’t change the sequence. The station would broadcast the shows when they wanted one show after the other – in a line, aka linearly – and you had to catch them when they were on.
This led to a thing called reruns. In those dark ages, when a series was sufficiently popular, one of the five over-the-air channels would re-run the show’s episodes.
Networks would remind viewers what they were showing when. I remember one commercial distinctly. A hand would stretch out, push a button on a computer console, and a voice-over would say, “Set the course for high adventure! Star Trek reruns on Channel 48 at 11 pm! Every weeknight!”
Or something like that. My memory isn’t exact on it all, but that phrase, “Set the course for high adventure!” hit warp speed as it rocketed into my cerebral cortex. That urging comment has stayed with me ever since.
Set The Course for High Adventure
Now, many years later, nearly every morning when I rise, as I go about the daily routine to prepare for the day ahead (making the bed, brushing my teeth, getting dressed, etc.) I think to myself, “Set the course for high adventure!”
If I’m feeling especially imaginative, I follow that up with a vision of Snoop Dogg passing by. He’s strolling along with his trademark bounce-walk, my psychonaut wife at his side, each of them smokin’ a log-sized blunt. Snoop asks, “Did someone say ‘high’ adventure?” Then they both vanish as I scold them, “Not that kind of high!”
The point is, at the start of almost every day, I remind myself to prepare for, and aim for, adventure. Because that’s what every day is: an adventure waiting to happen, a journey into the unknown full of surprises and challenges. Even mundane workdays can be packed with creativity and fun and a chance to show the world how awesome you are.
What Does This Have to Do with An Electric Scooter for Adults?
It’s like this: my wife is addicted to her morning coffee. Being the good friend I am, I like to supply that drink for her every morning. The problem arose when, as much as we tried, as many copycat recipes as we researched online, we couldn’t find a way to make her very specific Starbucks drink as good as the local baristas.
My mission became this: travel roughly 1.5 miles every morning to get the Starbucks and bring it back. Driving was no fun, because then I was just another sad soul trapped in a car. I thought about bicycling it, but there are some formidable hills on the way and some mornings I’m just tired. I considered rollerblading, but they are difficult to remove and not good for walking on surfaces. What about an electric pedal-assist bicycle? I could — but if I lost interest, wowzers, those things are expensive.
There had to be a way to travel small distances that wouldn’t take too much effort, would lead to adventure and wouldn’t clear $4,000 for a reputable brand. How do I get the morning trek to coffee and yet still have fun?
An adult electric razor scooter ended up being the answer. It was roughly one thousand dolalrs with warranty, could support by big old adult body, and it could handle the hills. And it had a ridiculous nerdy appeal to it. It would anger control freaks and it would empower the downtrodden. Perfect.
The New Routine
Now every morning when the weather is good (which it usually is for Spring Summer Autumn) I hit the scooter and get the coffee. I have a messenger bag and some solid-sealing thermoses to hold the drinks. I wear a helmet (of course) covered in stickers showing my allegiance to freedom and noble causes such as gay rights, peace and love, etc.
The scooter is a tiny bit of adventure, but not so much that my heart is thumping, and not so little that I’m just another person in the car, rolling around town. It’s what I call a sprinkle of adventure. A spritz. A shot.
There’s other benefits. People smile when they see me. Especially kids. Teens think it’s cool for the quirky edginess, young kids think it’s cool. There are of course some grouches out there, who beep at me or make snide comments on social media. As usual, I ignore them with glee.
Contrasting Adventure Styles: A Daily Shot vs Extreme Sports
The point of the discussion here is to remind you that adventure goes by different definitions. I fear many people skip adventure because when they think of it, they think only of extreme activity: jumping from a plane, cliff diving, intense scuba, etc.
Extreme adventures require lots of skill, practice, travel time, often money, etc. Plus, as much of a rush as they are, they often take long time to prepare, cost a lot, require advanced skill, and carry a risk of severe injury or death. Worst of all, they’re often over in seconds.
There is a place for adventures like that. I don’t render any negative judgment on those who do those things. Extreme adventure is awesome. I love it. I simply say, yes, that’s ONE WAY to enjoy adventure, but it is not the ONLY WAY.
You can fill your belly with one big meal, or lots of little snacks.
Extreme adventures are out of the reach of most people. Either because of cost or time. But adventure spritzing, sprinkling, a sort of salt bae of adventure, a little bit every day – that’s in the range of everyone. You just need imagination and desire.
The response to my scooting is overwhelmingly positive. People are kind, many fill me with compliments, and are curious. I hear plenty of people come up to me and ask things like “How much did that cost?” Or they outright say, “That looks fun!” and so on. And of course, little kids are curious, and teens smile along for the quirky aspect of it all.
My point of all this is: adventure is out there, you don’t have to be extreme to do it. It’s out there right now waiting for you. Go get it! Set the course for high adventure!