The Adventure + Purpose Newsletter
I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching about what tiny contribution I can make to Adventure + Purpose
The Adventure + Purpose Newsletter
Back in the olden days, I used to write books about big expeditions like cycling around the world or walking across India, and made films about crossing deserts or busking through Spain with no wallet. Then I changed tack, encouraging people to fit short, simple, affordable adventures in and around the margins of busy real lives. I called them microadventures. I’ve gone even smaller recently, spending a whole year searching for nature and wildness on my small local map.
As my adventures evolved, so did my motivations, reflected in my previous newsletters – one focused on overcoming obstacles and daring yourself to begin, another on making a living from creative passions. Now, it’s time to pivot again.
I love wild places and nature. I imagine you do, too. I’m appalled at the damage we are doing to the planet. You too, right?
I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching about what tiny contribution I can make to turn things around. How can I add purpose to my desire to live adventurously?
How can I blend my love for the outdoors—running, cycling, camping, drinking coffee—with my alarm at nature’s decline, pollution, land misuse, the lack of access to the countryside, and our growing disconnection from nature and its impact on our physical and mental health?
How can we turn round these problems through solutions like rewilding, a right to roam responsibly, getting more people to spend more time in the outdoors, and making changes to diets and lifestyles?
“You can’t go back and change the beginning but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
Which led me to begin this project: short, regular musings on these issues, aiming to figure out how I can combine everything into a meaningful, fun, and adventurous contribution to the world. As C.S. Lewis said, ‘You can’t go back and change the beginning but you can start where you are and change the ending.’
I hope this newsletter sparks a two-way conversation. I’d really welcome your thoughts on the topics we explore and invite you to suggest different themes or perspectives you find important.
“Unsubscribing.”
“Unsubscribing. you’re rather a wordy b*stard and all of them dull. cheers.”
“Unsubscribing. you’re rather a wordy b*stard and all of them dull. cheers.”“Your emails are always a bright spot in my day.”
“I stop my work (the boring work that pays the bills), and read, clicking through every link, and I’m pulled out and far away from my desk, out to muddy fields, salty waves, dusty workshops, trails, bike paths, and big dreams. ”
“Useless and Infuriating Emails.”
“Prat!”
“Lunchtime Stroll.”
Thank you!!”