Adventure is out there.

I was on the phone tonight, and I began explaining how I am considering a new tattoo. I want to get the house from Up with the balloons, with text that says "Adventure is out there!" Immediately, he asked why would I get that as a tattoo.

After cracking a few jokes, I explained that it's because of how important the movie and the story are to me.

Then I started to think about it.

The story of Up reduces everyone to tears. Whether it's the story of adventure, the miscarriage, love, or the loss of a loved one, it's a story that resonates deeply.

The part I love most (obviously, other than my desire to be Russell), is none other than that of Carl Frederickson. An old man, cynical and jaded, at his wits end with devastation after the loss of someone he holds so dear to him. The person who gave him the ambition for the adventure is no longer with him.

But then what Carl does is not like many others. Carl continues on his adventure despite his loss.

Loss isn't a foreign concept. It happens daily, dominating our life with various measures of grandeur.

But I wonder what would happen if loss became a motivator instead of an inhibitor. If it wasn't for Ellie, Carl wouldn't have had the idea to go to Paradise Falls. If it wasn't for the construction workers, Carl wouldn't have had the idea for the balloons. But at the root of this is his promise to Ellie.

I think we all have an Ellie. A person we've planned an adventure with and who has motivated us. Often someone from our youth, we often lose our Ellie.

And the loss of Ellie becomes the loss of the adventure.

But I tend to wonder what the world would be like if we were all Carl. If our sense of adventure dominated. If our devastation from loss withered away to be less of an inhibitor.

But maybe better yet, what if we didn't promise an Ellie? What if we promised adventure just for Carl? Just for adventure's sake?

I think adventures are scary. And as I embark on my senior year of college, and as I plan my next adventure, I would be lying if I said I was calm, cool, and collected about the thought of something new. I think my adventure would be fun if my Ellie could go with me, and if I could just stay Carl.

Don't get me wrong. I have my own dreams and aspirations, but I'm a bit petrified at the thought of wandering alone and aimlessly.

But at the end of the day, I promised myself that with or without Ellie, I would go on the adventure. With Ellie as my motivator or my inhibitor, I, Carl, would continue on to the place I promised I would go. To defy all odds and learn new things. To explore the vast unknown.

But to my Ellie, and all the Ellies to all the Carls, I hope you'll watch closely. I hope you'll stay in touch and watch from afar. I know I can't ask you to go with, but I hope you'll be proud of my adventure.

And at the end of the day, I can only hope I'll meet you at Paradise Falls.