our very own adventures
By Satori Jelden – Photos by Brandon Mendz
I’m Satori; 16 years old, from San Diego, California. Those are the surface level facts. Delve a little deeper and you’ll find someone who loves to dance (badly) to the point where it’s annoying, and a girl who needs her friends more than anything else. One of those friends is Brandon, an amazingly talented photographer and wonderful human. He even puts up with the dancing! Brandon is one of those dependable friends, the “no questions asked, I’m already on my way” kind of friend. And, one of the many things that Brandon and I share is our love of adventure.
Breathe in and breathe out, feel it running through your veins and coursing through your limbs as your feet hit the dirt road beneath. Adventure. I’ve always considered myself a sort of adventure addict; complete with drunken euphoria and withdrawals that leave you wondering when you can get another fix.
“Looking back on the moments I consider best in my lifetime,
flipping through the pages, it’s always an adventure.”
I’ve found myself sliding down a sand dune, more than once, complete with scenery so picturesque you might think it was the default background on your computer. In the middle of a road trip, I stood in the center of the road, my toes touching yellow lines. My eyes traced clouds in the sky, a familiar pink sunset that made me feel at home though I couldn’t have been further.
I’ve had to catch my breath after coming across an albino peacock cleaning its feathers in a cage. Normally awe-inspiring, but coupled with intricate circles in the dirt, deserted campsites, and large mansion with looming gates, I wondered if I’d just stumbled upon a cult. Or once, I sat shotgun, driving down a rocky road I’d never seen before, following a man in a truck who had first asked if we had an appointment to see the wolves, but upon the shaking of our heads, had told us to come with him anyway. (Spoiler alert: we saw the wolves.)
I could go on. The feeling and essence that surrounds each of these memories with tight and unforgiving arms, is adventure, and part of what makes adventure so hard to explain are the multitudes it contains.
Adventure can happen anywhere, without warning; I’ve even had adventures without ever leaving my room. They sneak up on you when you least expect it. You don’t always end up where you thought you might, but I’ve found that, what’s expected and what’s right are not always the same. Adventure can’t be planned for; as soon as you try to manage your time and your space or look up directions, somehow the adventure is squandered.
“It isn’t about where you’re going or what time it is, adventure is
about who you’re with, and what you see, and how you feel.”
Lastly, adventure is something that I love very much. I encourage you to go out with the distinct plan to have no plans, and to just live in experiences.
The wind in your hair when the windows are rolled down, or the goosebumps that dot your arms as a cool spring breeze rolls over them. When you look over at the person sitting next to you, close your eyes and breathe in deeply, wish you could live in this one moment forever. Since you can’t, just let the feeling of adventure hold onto you, the tranquility, the relief, the intoxicating feeling of time and space being suspended – just for a little while. Reveling in how all of your worries and anxieties melted away hours ago. the love.
That’s what adventure is about.
If you want to join in on the thrill, and see the world through my rose colored glasses, then you can come with Brandon and I, once a month, as we embark on our very own adventures.
