Written by Sarabeth Jones, Arkansas Women Blogger Miss June 2013

I used to absolutely adore those Choose Your Own Adventure books, didn’t you? You read along for a few pages, then the choice:

• If you want to fight the monster in hopes of getting the treasure, turn to page 85.
• If you decide you’d rather live than take your chances in battle, turn to page 12.

I loved that feeling of sitting there, weighing my options, trying to figure out which choice would lead to greater things. I still love that feeling today.

Here’s the thing: even though I’m are all grown up now, I still have to choose our own adventure sometimes. Sure, sometimes great adventures are plopped into my lap, but more often, my days are shaped by routines, obligations, habits. But I can still have an adventure right in the middle of that. I just might have to choose my own.

This year, I’ve been on that sort of adventure: one I’ve chosen. It’s been fun, and hard, and not what I expected it to be. In February, a group of people started working their way through a book together – Jen Hatmaker’s 7. In it, she tells about going through 7 months of trying to rid her life of excess; she focuses a month on each of the following areas: food, clothing, possessions, media, waste, spending, and stress. It’s really a set of 7 month-long fasts, and her story is so compelling that by the time I finished I wanted to do it too.

So, in February we began, each agreeing to handle our month in whatever way we decided fit for us. I ate 7 foods all month long. In March, I wore the same 7 items of clothing. In April, I gave away possessions all month long (the goal being 7 a day). May brought (mostly) silence on my social media outlets. And this month, I’ve been gaining new habits, trying to reduce all the ways we waste.

Now, all those things have been good for me in a general lifestyle sort of way – bringing bad habits to my attention, making me a ‘better person.’ But the adventure comes in all the things that have happened as a result – things I couldn’t have seen coming.

I’ve gotten to know more women – some for the first time, some that I’m just getting to know more than on the surface – by being in this adventure together.

Our group learned about Pure Charity when they volunteered to give us all shirts to wear as one of our few clothing items during March.

I learned about letting go when we decided to have a free garage sale and raised $750 for charities dear to us.

It’s been incredible, really. I’ve had plenty of people look at me like I’m crazy (or sometimes they ask). But it’s been a journey – an adventure – that like every adventure, has taught me about myself and what I believe. It’s opened me up to trust and faith, and reminded me of the goodness of community. It’s made my life richer and deeper – and I didn’t even have to leave home.

So what do you think? Where could you choose your own? Or where are you choosing it already?

PS: Thanks so much for reading along this June! I’ve loved being the featured blogger and getting to know more of you through the comments and new connections here at ARWB. Looking forward to more of the same in the future!