Rule number one, you always stop at the antique stores.

And go through all their “nobody wants” items.

The lonesome elves, empty weird boxes, chipped stuff.

Lamps, so ugly, that no lampshade could save them.

That is where you find, all the good stuff.

The nifty military bag, that you never use.

But could freaking fit, all the clothes yo own, and a lampshade.

Lighter, that you keep for life, though you never got it working.

And the dictionary, that absolutely makes you look smart.

But you buy, because of how fantastically it smells.

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And freaking shells, you need all of them.

From oyster shells, to unusually fresh shells, to ocean shells.

Offer $3 dollars, just lay the money on the table, with a smack.

And tell them they should be paying you, for hauling a whole box of the crap.

And explain to them, rule of adventure number two.

You are taking all the shells, to the damn beach.

You will scatter them daily, hide in the dune grass.

And watch, occasionally taking a photo.

How a lake that barely has a crustacean and wouldn't know a barnacle from an umbrella.

Has a stretch of the beach. Covered by sea shells.

Some of them, seemingly painted.

And how some elves, ended up in a tree.

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Rule number three is, narrated books, books on tape, audiobooks.

You need thousands of them, and solar charger and extra players.

When great adventures were still the norm, this wasn’t a big deal.

Unless, it was a big book, Melville published The Whale in 1851.

Everyone needed that one, and oh gosh, when people read that out loud, by the fire.

Now that is a narration, fo a standing ovation.

But in the modern days, you are your own adventurer.

You bring your own narrated books, and write or narrate some too.

Never spend a day without a book, playing in your ears.

The wise non-religious books, contain class and culture.

They speak of dignity, and your nobility.

The more modern books will teach you, that you are creature of the stars.

And that is jus the first lesson, the philosophers will deliver your great inheritance.

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I left the most important rule for last, your backpack always waits by the door.

It does not matter, if you are not panning to go.

You only put the back pack away, if you refuse the call of the wild.

A chose, that no one can make for you, a choice that comes from your deepest integrity.

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Upon the call, both ends, lead to heights you can’t imagine.

You will never regret the choice you made, and yes, it will make all the difference.

The choices you make, do not just dictate the life ahead of you.

They reinforce who you are, they heal you, and make you deeply wise.

Once you place the bag by your door, there is no going back.

You are on the expressway, towards greatness.

A thousand books before you know it, and fitness, and health, and energy, and vision.

May you cross the Triple Crown, Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trails.

And may Thoreau, Whitman, Twain, London, Lewis, Hemingway and Burroughs, speak their wisdom.

You may come off the trail someday, but that does not mark an end.

As by that time, you will be transformed.

Bringing the adventure with you, wherever you go.