Closing Your Eyes to See - The Adventure of The Unknown

I do something unique for a living—I take people on eco-adventure trips, and I don't tell them where we are going, where we are staying or what we'll be doing. From the moment they land, until they leave, everything is a surprise. Some of my trips take place in nature in the Monadnock region and last for a few hours, while others take place in beautiful Costa Rica and last for many days. Why would anyone pay to go on trips in which they don't know where they are going? I call it 'blind adventuring' and it's a spiritual exercise in trust, surrender and challenging your senses. As the guide, my job is to unveil experiences one moment at a time, like a DJ of the senses, always keeping you present in surprise and delight. There is no reason for you to know what we are doing tomorrow or tonight, that would just distract you and take away focus from the beautiful things we are doing right now. Our minds have become addicted to planning and predicting everything we do. Before taking a trip or vacation, people tend to scour reviews, links, photos and comments about the places they are going to avoid "choosing the wrong place". We prepare by filling our minds with a detailed vision of what we'll expect and then follow the trailed footsteps of others making sure to stay safely away from anything uncertain or unappreciated by others. This is the mind's way of keeping us 'safe' — by removing the unexpected. The problem with this type of control is that it diminishes the possibilities of surprise and wonder — the magical spices in the kitchen of life. If I tell you that next week we are taking you to a beautiful beach to spend the day your brain is going to visually imagine and predict not just how the beach looks and feels, but how the lead-up and experience will be for you. A miniature movie of how the day will go will be created in your subconscious. This happens automatically because the brain wants to avoid any surprises, and visualizing the future satisfies its fear or the unknown. The problem with this is that it can set us up for disappointment. Our imagination is powerful and what we imagine can many times be not as exciting as what actually will happen. The dopamine that should have been released during the thrill of actual experience now instead gets released during the planning of the event because our mind is living it before it actually happens. Our minds always want continuity, safety, and consistency. Our spirits demand adventures because incredible experiences that make us feel alive are fresh oxygen to our state of mind. Surprising people by taking them to beautiful places without their prior knowledge short-circuits the mind's predictive programming. This forces the conscious mind to use its resources to process reality; the beautiful ocean and sky, the texture of the sand, the rush of the waterfalls, or the sound of the waves as you experience the surprise of simply being there. Unexpected experiences that are amazing, exciting and fantastic have the power to cause strong positive synapses in the mind that open us to life. The thrill of not knowing and simultaneously being pleased with the experience opens your senses and lets more in, filling your soul with excitement, and making you feel more alive. When others lead us into experiences we love but were not expecting, it rebuilds our trust in other human beings and the unknown, making it clear that it is not necessary for us to control every activity and moment in our lives. The unknown opens the door for new things in your life because it reminds our minds that great things can come from the unexpected. Controlling everything might be keeping you so safe that you never really experience the adventure of your own life. As human society merges deeper with computers and data tries to rule our everyday, it is going to become increasingly important to look for alternative ways like this to experience life. We are here in this planet to experience intensely, and allowing the unknown to come into your life is wonderfull medicine that I recommend for all.