Geocaching...it's what I do

I spent today at RIT at a sustainability conference. While there, I took the opportunity to get out and grab a few geocaches. I love it...in fact, geocaching is one of the first things I've really enjoyed in such a long time. Why? I'm not entirely sure, but given the number of geocaching "addicts" out there, I'm not unique! It's the treasure hunt for sure. It's the challenge of putting your wits against another cacher in making the find - and some are really clever. It's collecting the finds...racking up the numbers. It's getting out and walking. It's being outside with something to do. It's doing it with my family when they'll come. Meeting other people with a shared interest. It's phoning a friend to do a web capture in front of a statue to log the cache; not caring how silly you must look posing in the crowd to a camera 300' away! But there's something more. It's self reflective for me. Driving down some forgotten road and discovering a place of tall oaks and granite stones of people who passed on a hundred years before I was born and just wondering...



It's those moments that really make it worth while...discovering myself. Today was one of those days, I chased a cached called the catecombs at RIT. The place was pretty cool, students painted the tunnels with whatever moved them. And so I wandered for ever, turning right at star trek, finding the Wolverine, so many themes. While I walked though, I realized that no one spoke my language. I heard grunting, screeching, unusual sounds - and hand gesturing. The deeper I went, the more pronounced it got. Somewhere I began to understand that I was among the deaf. I was the lone voice, the minority - and they were at home. Talking, moving, gesturing...and I would be unable to communicate with them. I was the one who was uncomfortable. For those minutes while the cache placer was illuding me, I stood in a world that was outside of my comfort zone, and I'm a better man because of it. I don't know what the lesson was/is, but I know there is one and I'll wait for it to be revealed. Until then, I remain thankful for that trip through the labrynth.



Geocaching...it's what I do.