Think back — I mean way back. Back to the days when every morning posed a new adventure, a new feat to be conquered, a new discovery to be made. Are you there yet? Ok, great. Now try toremember how you felt the first time you learned how to tie your shoes.

When you finally mastered the fine art of shoe-tying, it was big news and you felt great. What about the first time you rode your bicycle all by yourself? Even though you couldn’t leave your parents’ sight, it was still a feeling of independence and maturity. While most can’t remember this, there was a time when you realized you had 10 fingers and 10 toes, your legs made you mobile and your arms allowed you to reach and grasp objects. Those were the days … or were they?

As we grow older, we fall into routines. For some of us, these routines include getting up, showering, going to class, attending meetings, working out … I could go on, but you get the picture. We often fall victim to thinking, “long gone were the days when life was exciting.” But wait! Why can’t every day be like learning how to ride your bike or tying your shoes? Why do we insist that every day is boring and arbitrary? I know for certain that every day is full of exciting adventures to be taken and new discoveries to be made.

Try something new. Every day we follow the same basic schedule. Stability gives us comfort and keeps us organized. However, it never hurts to jazz things up a bit. Instead of getting up in just enough time to shower, get dressed and leave, why not get up 10 minutes earlier and read the paper? You’ll be surprised at what you’ll find in there. There are all kinds of neat facts, interesting stories and entertaining material. Remember those awesome forts you used to build in your room as a child? They were fun. No matter how hard you tried, you could never recreate the same fort twice. This is how every day should be: a new fort, a new way of escaping, a new way of building.

Learn something new. Remember, that is why we are here at this University: to be educated. I’ll admit you probably didn’t learn how to tie your shoes in philosophy class today, but I bet you learned something just as exciting, just not quite as tangible. Just like you learned to grasp with your hands, here at college we learn to grasp with our minds. Our professors, fellow classmates and friends challenge us to extend our ways of thinking and acting every day and in every way.

We not only meet exciting adventures in the classroom and in what we read, but also in the people we meet. The experiences we have outside of the classroom are probably the most rewarding. Now who didn’t like ice cream as a kid? Everyone’s favorite flavor was either chocolate or vanilla. Then you discovered Oreo and peanut butter swirl. They were different, but they were great! While you always enjoyed the originals, the new flavors were fun, too.

Add a new flavor to your life. Venture outside your circle of friends and meet someone new. Every person has a story to tell and is just waiting for someone to ask them about it. You never know when you may meet someone that will change your life for a moment, a week or a lifetime.

Every day is an exciting adventure, an opportunity to learn something new, do something different or meet someone. While we can certainly say “those were the days” when tying our shoes and riding our bikes were great feats to be conquered and victories to celebrate, we can also say, “this is the day,” a day for adventure and discovery. What fort will you build?