5 must haves in the Mad Explorers backpack

So what is in the Mad Explorers backpack? What must haves does she thinks she needs? How does she choose? Does she take the same things each time she steps out the door?
The truth is she doesn’t know exactly what she’ll need each time but she knows what has been most useful to her in the past. This explorer knows which tool, which item, object, and instincts help keep her mindful of her next small step.
So what’s in that backpack?
1) Awareness- The power of observation makes a good pair field glasses to open and expand her field of view. Sometimes we see things ahead that we believe we recognize yet things are not always as they seem. The Mad Explorer knows she’ll be entering landscapes of the unfamiliar.  Must have #1 is all about being aware, taking a closer look from a safe distance, gathering info to create context and then Reframing thoughts to find the familiar in the unfamiliar and moving on from there.
2) Patience- Life doesn’t always run on schedule. It may seem at times we have no choice but to stop, be brave and wait for a sign…the storm always passes; a better idea might be born. We may not always have options but we have a choice in how we respond to the options at hand. Packing patience is a very good thing.
3) Curiosity- Boredom is never an issue when you sprinkle your path with curiosity. Curiosity is the language of questions, a partner to possibility and the constant companion of adventure, a must have for sure.
4) Vulnerability- Sometimes it’s hard to give yourself permission to venture into the land unknown, lest there be dragons or dragonflies. Seeking new perspectives can be scary work when asked to step into the shadow-lands and scale high mountains to gain a better view. Must have #4 has a specially made pocket, not so small it traps the spirit, not so large that the hearty Mad Explorer is  swallowed in the gloom.
5) Courage– Courage, the bodyguard of vulnerability, draws strength from its massive framework of compassion, holding sacred space for the must haves listed above. It tests the air, checks the wind and leads us into the flow. Mis-steps and mistakes are nothing more than practice in disguise. Courage knows that a Mad Explorers truest path is sometimes only found by retracing her steps.

Without Courage, new thoughts wouldn’t dare venture to whisper its presence. Awareness of possibility would shrivel and shrink. Patience would turn to apathy, choice would slip away. Curiosity would grow dark, boredom would take its place leaving only Vulnerability to loom larger than life.
Go ahead. Grab your backpack. Pack your Courage. Practice exploring one small brave step at a time.

Interested to know who this Mad Explorer is with a backpack full of 5 must-haves? Stay tuned, more on that soon.
in the meantime, what must haves are in your backpack?
I’d love to hear your list. Share in the comments below or drop me a line.
Your inner wilderness guide, Dawn