adventure (ad-'ven-cher) 1.a: an undertaking usu. involving danger and unknown risks. b: the encountering of risks 2: an exciting or remarkable experience

Everybody’s got their own definition of adventure. To some of us it’s climbing Dinali, or backpacking the length of the Appalachian Trail. To others it’s driving into Boston on a Friday evening, not succumbing to road-rage, and finding a legal parking place within hiking distance of your destination.

It used to be that adventure was out there for those who craved it. At one time there were huge portions of the globe that hadn’t been explored, catalogued and overpopulated. Adventurers were frequently the guys who had nothing left to lose, or those who couldn’t afford to stick around and let the bailiff or the bill collector catch up to them. If you were willing to take your chances with the dragons in the gaps on the map, you might be given a get-out-of-jail-free card and maybe even a round-trip ticket to the unknown. Even in this century there have been adventures available to those willing to risk everything.

In my estimation, Earnest Shackleton’s http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shackleton/ abortive expedition to Antarctica is one of the most amazing adventures since mankind realized the world wasn’t flat. In August 1914, he set out on what was considered the last great challenge: to cross the Antarctic continent on foot, with a hardy group of 27 men, a team of very sturdy dogs, and one cat. The bottom line is that they did not succeed. His expedition was beset by incredible problems, but the remarkable feat lay in bringing all his men home safely after two years of an unbelievably harrowing journey, and what many call the most remarkable adventure since longitude was recognized.

Just in case you’ve got a desperate urge to try something really difficult but you doubt you’re qualified to be an astronaut, you might consider the BT Global Challenge http://www.challengebusiness.com/events/summary/2004-global-challenge.htm , racing around the world ‘the wrong way’. Customarily these long distance ocean races go with the prevailing winds, but in this case the wrong way means east to west - and it’s a very long and grueling distance from Tierra del Fuego to the Cape of Good Hope.

I’m not going to speculate on whether it’s age or a sedentary lifestyle that causes my sense of adventure to be so easily satisfied these days, but I have to admit that I don’t seem to seek those risks I used to crave in my youth. I’ve tried most of the inexpensively adventurous things that one might possibly attempt, but occasionally life still demands excitement. The Web provides a good way to safely investigate some of the more radical experiences without paying anything - either financially or physically. After this, if you choose to get serious, it’s your nickel.

Soaring http://www.ssa.org/ - now there’s a more restful sport. The views are phenomenal, and if you do it right you’ve got a lot of time to appreciate them. Soaring provides a wonderful sense of what it might be like to be a bird, powering silently through the air, but without any of the energy and skill that birds innately have.

I’ve tried soaring, but I’ve always wanted to jump out of an airplane. Maybe it’s a result of boredom in the workplace, or the wait for the Blynman Bridge, but I might have to try skydiving. http://www.uspa.org/ . Ever see the movie Fandango? http://us.imdb.com/Title?0089126 One of the great underappreciated classics of the past 20 years. Be sure to watch it before you take your first skydiving lesson.

With windsurfing http://www.windsurfer.com/newsite/index.cfm you are - relatively speaking - earthbound. I suspect, however, that the effort involved is a whole lot more taxing than falling out of a plane or piloting a glider. Hanging out at Niles Beach on windy days, I have observed that it takes quite a bit of practice before you learn to come about efficiently on one of these things. I wonder about some of those novice boardriders, but I guess it’s possible to make landfall in Scituate or Duxbury and hitchhike home.

Now for those among us who sometimes feel that road-rage rising this might be a good idea. Learn to drive http://www.raceschools.com/geographic.php better than the rest of those bozos who’re all out to get you. You’ll at least be qualified to get out of their way quicker, and the adrenaline rush should enliven your daily commute.

I know from personal experience that scuba diving http://www.padi.com/ can be pretty satisfying. It’s a medium that’s familiar and yet totally foreign. You need to be weighted to sink, and - no matter that you’ve been doing it all your life - you really do need to remember to breathe. Sometimes, given all there is to see underwater, that’s enough of a challenge. It can almost be an easy adventure, requiring minimal exertion, but it certainly allows plenty of scope for excitement if you choose.

Some people find adventure in their daily lives. Balancing the checkbook has been known to provide the same sensation as bungee jumping from the Bunker Hill monument. Bathing the cat can rank right up there with free-climbing the Salathe Wall. Get out there and have one yourself. Then report back - you know where to find me - RedEmma@MyWay.com