“I believe that everyone else my age is an adult whereas I am merely in disguise.” —Margaret Atwood
I am forty years old but I still feel like I’m eight, trying to figure out why adults act so weird. They appear to have it all together, but don’t seem very happy at all. I think I know the secret, but wonder if I’m the fool.
If you can relate to any of that, hear this: you are not alone.
If you think life is too short to be so serious all the time, you are not alone.
If you believe that experiences are more valuable than stuff, you are not alone.
If you suspect there is more to life than school, work, retirement, and death, you are not alone.
If you think that The Lego Movie should have at least been nominated for Best Picture, you are not alone.
It can feel like you’re on an island, all alone, the weird one. The one people don’t take seriously and whom everyone else in the office rolls their eyes at. We are bombarded by endless messages about how we are supposed to think, act, and spend our money. Serious. Responsible. Busy as a bee and boring as hell.
Well I’m content to let everyone else run around like a chicken with their head cut off, settling for the life they’ve been told to live, while we opt-out of the madness, break the rules that don’t exist, and create the lives we were made for.
A few years ago I finally figured out that this movement we’re building, me and you, is about making sure that people like us know that they are not alone. It’s a place for people who understand that life is a grand choose-your-own adventure, not a paint-by-numbers endeavor.
The most important thing we can do is live our example out loud; to be the change we wish to see in the world, as Gandhi implored. This is no small task, especially in an Adultitis-filled world that laughs at our advances. A childlike spirit is a fragile thing, easily mangled, trampled, and tossed aside. But it is stronger than it appears, always alive within every single person, no matter how rejected or neglected it has been. It gains strength from togetherness.
And this is why this Escape Adulthood thing is so important. It’s more than a brand, a company, or even a rallying cry. It is a place where we can be inspired by one another, to build each other up, and to be reminded that we are not alone.
The Adventure Club is an outward beacon for this ideal. By courageously doing these small, seemingly senseless acts of silliness, we break out of the ruts that Adultitis has carved for us. And by sharing our exploits for the world to see and inviting friends to play along, we give others permission to do the same.
And believe me, the most powerful gift you can give someone is permission.
Seriously, have you seen the news lately?! Right now, the world needs permission to laugh, to have fun, and give Adultitis a good swift kick to the family jewels.
None of us can defeat Adultitis alone. But there’s no limit to what we can do together.
