adventure

I am titling this post "adventure."
I never used to think very much about "adventure" -- didn't consciously seek it out, or think of experiences that way.
In recent years, as I'm practicing Writing -- three screenplays that never started a bidding war in Hollywood (joined that club!)-- as I think and feel through Writing more than when I was younger, I think of things as "Adventures" more.
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One of the best times was the autumn of eighth grade. I worked as a volunteer on a presidential campaign. It was so exciting, to me! And all I really did was sit in a poorly-appointed room on the second floor of a building in Kent, Ohio, and fold various forms of campaign literature, put them into envelopes, and address them.

Is that exciting? Is that "adventure"?
To me, it was.
Where did I get the idea to do volunteer work for a political campaign? Think it may have come from my best friend Robin. Her father worked for Chrysler and the union supported the same presidential ticket that my parents planned to vote for. So Robin and I were "for" that candidate & though too young to vote, we could "stuff envelopes"!

And I remember being introduced, as a new volunteer, to the person who was running that campaign office. Another volunteer, probably a college student, brought Robin and me to the woman's office. Cannot remember her name, but I remember her -- she was different from any woman I had ever met before. She wasn't like anyone's mom, or any teachers, or my aunts.

She had platinum blonde hair -- with bangs, she was very casual -- casual slacks and short-sleeved top. She sat behind a desk, and there were papers and books and magazines, newspapers, campaign literature, whatever -- all kinds of office stuff, all over the desk, lots more information or research-oriented paper on a nearby cabinet. Things on the wall -- I don't know, maps, maybe, statistics, whatever -- can't remember, but I had a sense of thick crowdedness of that office.

The woman had a cup of coffee and a cigarette going on -- and she seemed relaxed, confident, on one level and rather intense and "strong" on another level. Like -- tough.
If I had seen a character like her on television I wouldn't have been so impacted by the image, but in real life it was unusual to encounter someone like that up close.

And I still remember even though it's been a long time.
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Was that an "adventure"?
Look it up, on-line Dictionary:

ad·ven·ture   /ædˈvɛntʃər/ Show Spelled [ad-ven-cher] Show IPA noun, verb,-tured, -tur·ing.
–noun
1.an exciting or very unusual experience.
2.participation in exciting undertakings or enterprises: the spirit of adventure.
3.a bold, usually risky undertaking; hazardous action of uncertain outcome.
4.a commercial or financial speculation of any kind; venture.
5.Obsolete.
a.peril; danger; risk.
b.chance; fortune; luck.
–verb (used with object)
6.to risk or hazard.
7.to take the chance of; dare.
8.to venture to say or utter: to adventure an opinion.
–verb (used without object)
9.to take the risk involved.
10.to venture; hazard.
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Origin:
1200–50; ME aventure < AF, OF < VL *adventūra what must happen, fem. (orig. neut. pl.) of L adventūrus fut. participle of advenīre to arrive; ad- ad- r. a- a-5. See advent, -ure


"Hazardous action of uncertain outcome" is really the only portion that applies: the outcome certainly was "uncertain": our guy didn't win!

I was totally and unpleasantly surprised on Election Night when our candidate did not win. (I hadn't been following polls: I was only in eighth grade; I was enthusiastic about the election, but what I wanted was to participate, not prognosticate.)

Adventure.
That's all I know, today.

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