Thoughts from the Editor

Thoughts from the Editor

During the spring of 1997, four of my closest friends and I gathered for a late night Double-Double® run at the recently opened In-N-Out Burger. This was a typical Thursday night during my senior year of high school, full of shenanigans, eating anything we could see, loud music, and laughter.

As it dawned on us that life was going to change in a matter of weeks and our days together were coming to an end, a “seize the day mentality” had taken hold, and any excuse we could find to hang out was good enough for us.

We piled into one of those hard plastic booths to stuff our faces with burgers and fries before we all went home, when somebody (all names and identities will remain undisclosed) had the impromptu and harebrained idea to stay up all night. The plan we formulated was to give the ol’ double-cross to our parents and each say that we were sleeping over at the other guy’s house (sorry for lying to you, mom and dad). With the parents successfully duped and the freedom of an entire night before us, we loaded into my white 1991 Mitsubishi Mirage compact sedan to take the first of what we would later dub “midnight adventures.”

The plan was simple: Stay up all night, do something unpredictable, and make it back before anyone would be the wiser. With windows down and the radio blaring “The Distance” by Cake, we felt like we ruled the world. We still had no clue what our plan was, so I pointed my little car in the direction of the coast and we drove and laughed and yell-sang for hours. On the way, we ultimately decided to jump in the ocean, watch the sun rise, and try to make it back to school before first period.

I don’t know if you’ve ever taken an unexpected and unplanned adventure, but there’s something exhilarating about the freedom and joy I discovered that night. During that trip, the world became so much larger to me and yet much more accessible. I realized that it doesn’t take much planning or thought to have a memorable experience. I recognized that trying something new does two things for me: it breaks me out of the familiar ruts, and stretches me beyond my comfort zone.

Small adventures become an antidote to the mundane. They open our eyes to the joy of life and the beauty around us. They challenge us to move past what is safe and familiar. Whether a midnight drive to the beach, sleeping on the backyard trampoline, or a last-minute hike, adventure is an accessible cure for our lives.

My friends and I did end up making it to the coast, jumping into the ocean, and returning back in time for our second period classes. Midnight adventure accomplished. Congratulations to all our graduating seniors, and don’t get any crazy ideas.