We dream of adventures in far away places. The majesty of watching the sun set over an endless ocean from a tucked away campground.

Of endless forests, whose trees stretch endlessly up towards the heavens…

Of the quiet lake tucked away in the mountains…

The wide open rugged terrain of Earth’s most pristine mountain ranges…

Adventures on both land and water…

And, in my case, the continuous smell of fresh air from the comfort of a bicycle seat!

Sometimes, however, life, as in some combination of events both major and minor, forces our attention elsewhere. By elsewhere, I mean to other aspects of our lives.

Springtime can actually be that time of year for a lot of people. The most common activities people take part in tend to either be winter activities, such as skiing, or summer activities that require consistent relatively pleasant weather. Springtime can be pleasant, but can also produce weather that is quite volatile.

Our most precious resources can be crudely generalized as time and money. It has often been said that a person’s values and priorities can be revealed not through their words, but their actions, in the form of how they chose to spend their time and money. Travel, at lest the kind of travel featured in blogs, magazines, and on TV shows, tends to be quite exhaustive of both time and money.

While there are people who value travel and people who don’t, even amongst people who value travel, there are times when these resources simply have to go elsewhere. I am in the midst of one of those time periods, where the large sums of money, and the large blocks of time just need to be used in other capacities.

Fortunately, not all experiences require large sums of money and large amounts of time. While not everybody is lucky enough to live within a 45 minute bike ride of a place that can feel majestic on a warm spring day.

There is something picturesque about everyone’s home town.

Wherever you live, there is something to be admired, there is an experience to savor and a scene to soak in, at the right time, from the right vantage point, so long as we all stay mindful.

My “offseason” consisted of activities that are less exhaustive of both time and money.

Some were bike rides to nearby places that had become so familiar, their beauty had become almost lost. Two years ago I had said that no matter how many times I ride the route 36 bike trail between Denver and Boulder, I would always stop at the Davidson Mesa overlook, even if I am not in need of rest. I broke that policy last week, which would later serve to me as a reminder that the familiar does not cease to be wonderful!

Others were trips to state parks within 60 miles, an hour’s drive or a three hour bike ride, of Denver.

On a day with unpleasant weather, I checked out the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit at the Museum of Nature and Science, technically walking distance from my home.

Nicer days brought me to places like the Cheyenne Botanical Gardens…

Or even just to my own back yard to plant a garden.

All, this, along with the other random activities I took part in around town

was certainly not enough to fend off the wanderlust, the ever present desire to get out and, see more places, witness more events, and travel somewhere new. However, an off-season, a change of pace of sorts, from time to time, might not necessarily be a bad thing.

According to Tony Robbins, there are six basic human needs.

Travel is a great way to meet some of these needs, particularly variety, growth, and connection to nature. However, with the exception of the few people who travel for a living happily, some of us need to stick closer to home to meet the rest.

In particular, I can see how consistently being in a different place can actually be a hindrance, or an additional challenge, when it comes to making an nourishing friendships.

As well as growing professionally.

And, well, when it comes to developing a career (if travel itself is not the career that is), accomplishing something.

I can’t say I welcomed this season of my life, needing to direct my energies towards pursuits that feel less exciting and unique, and more like everyday life. However, after a couple of months, I now see why it is periodically necessary. The wanderlust isn’t gone. On the contrary, it probably gets worse every day. However, life is about balance, and when we get out of balance, bad things can occur. Just because I feel like far too many people have settled for the mundane, and less than I feel they are worth, does not mean it isn’t possible to fall out of balance in the other direction.