The Adventure Hat

 “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”

 

Many young readers are fascinated by the Choose Your Own Adventure book series. The books don’t tell you a story – rather, you choose which page to turn to in response to a situation. An example page might have read:

To your left you see a dark forest, and to your right, an empty grass field.

If you take the path left to the forest, turn to page 8

If you take the path right to the field, turn to page 16. “

If you made a series of correct choices, you’d eventually get to the “end” of the book (which was never the last page, rather it was buried somewhere in the middle) and slay the dragon or save the kingdom. It was as though you could write your own book and own your story in the process.

You had a clear choice in the outcome. You could play it safe or take a chance on the dark field or empty forest. If it didn’t turn out the way you had hoped, the pages could be turned back and a different adventure begun.
When my oldest grandson Jayden was four or five,  Hubs and I gave him a cowboy-sheriff costume for Christmas. The shirt and pants are long since outgrown, the silver badge once proudly displayed on the bright blue shirt is now relegated to the bottom of a drawer or under the bed. The red felt hat however, is another story. It has become an integral part of the everyday life in his household. When you see Jayden, you most likely will see him wearing what he has christened,

“the adventure hat”.

He is now almost nine and wears it most every day. It’s bent, worn, crumpled and only slightly resembles the original crisp version he first unpacked as a gift.

But, he loves it!

I love it that he loves this hat. Most of all I love the part of Jayden that is sweet and imagines adventure and loves wearing this hat!

Several months ago while visiting with my sweet boy, who lives
a zillion miles away in Arizona, (well, from Michigan it IS! )  We took him, his brother and two sisters to a resort for a week’s stay while mom and dad adjusted to life with a new baby brother. Our final day, when packing up I did my methodical search  through the rooms for any missing items that had wandered under a bed or chair in our wrangle to pack and corral all of our belongings for the trip home.  I gathered a few stray books and socks which we had missed on the first round of suitcase shuffle.   Now satisfied nothing had been left behind, I headed down the stairs with my Hubs plus four and  the 45 minute drive back to their home.

We decided to savor our last few moments together with a stop at a family style local food shop where our busy bunch would be able to fill their bellies one last time before we reunited with the rest of the family.  We had been at the table only a few moments, when I looked at Jayden, my heart in my throat and with dread, as I noticed in disbelief, the beloved hat was missing. Gone. Not with us. Cautiously I questioned him , “Might it be in the car…instantly, huge crocodile tears filled his eyes and spilled down his face. My fears were confirmed.

 

The hat was not with us. My heart was broken for him.

He began to melt and with his small shoulders shaking; he sobbed “I will NEVER wear another hat. I am SO sad.”

At this moment I am surely the worst Nana on the planet. How could I have missed the hat?  My mind is making a list and checking it twice- couldn’t have been in the rooms- I would have seen it! Tracing our steps in my mind, when was the last time I had seen him wearing it? We had been swimming, doing crafts, hot tubbing, playing ping pong, exploring the grounds, we had stopped at an automotive shop to fill a low tire  – where oh where could it be?

We finished out dinner, walked to the van and hoped against hope as I searched the assorted bags, suitcases and under the seats-that it would be there, knowing all the while, it was not. Saddened, we began the rest of the drive home to mom and dad. Jay was trying to be brave, but he was crushed.

Later, as we unloaded the van, the kids ran into the house and Jay announced with great sorrow, his hat was missing.

Wait… there in plain sight, the hat, right  on the coffee table it sat! Boy reunited with hat. Sorrow replaced with joy as we realized it had been left behind at their house when we had joined mom, dad and baby brother for dinner the night before! Woot Woot.. we are a happy bunch again!  I am not the worst on the planet- I am redeemed.

Bring on the adventure.

I wish I had an adventure hat like Jay.

What if we could put on a hat, and become whatever we wanted to? What if putting on a hat allowed us to be transported wherever we wanted to go?

Where would you go? What would you do?

Hmm, I am thinking  Hawaii, Europe, the Amazon, the park down the street with my dog,dinner with good friends, Alaska, or maybe the bedroom of my newest little grandson- where I could rock him to sleep for his tired mama tonight. Not all adventures are BIG in size… but all are BIG to our hearts!

What if our “hat” allowed us to live the life we longed for,  instead of what others expected of us? What if we could “choose our own adventure” , by merely taking a different path, or tracing steps back a wrong turn or two?

 

 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.  Lamentation 3: 23  NLT

While I may not have a cool red hat like Jay, I am thankful for new mornings and the chance to choose today’s adventure afresh!

• How about you?
• What adventure would you live if YOU had an adventure hat?

Love to hear about your adventure- past, present and yet to start…