Book Squirt

A Year Since Outward Bound

This entry is part 209 of 209 in the series Outward Bound

I can’t believe I just typed those words. “A Year Since Outward Bound.”

Outward Bound taught me so much.

On Outward Bound, I learned what a wonderful life I have.
On Outward Bound, I learned that the world is very different from what I thought it was.
On Outward Bound, I learned that I could do so much more than I thought I could.
On Outward Bound, I learned SO MANY THINGS.

I learned so much, that I still don’t know all of the things I learned! But it definitely taught me a lot.

We’ll be talking at church and almost every other week I’ll bring up Outward Bound. I think about Outward Bound every day, and I talk about it just as often. I’ve even started dreaming about it again – and I still miss it.

I’d love to catch up with my crewmates again. I learned so many things from them too.

Bobby taught me that smiling in a bad situation really helps.
Luke and Ben taught me that sometimes you have to work through the pain.
One girl taught me that belittling weaker people will only make them feel bad.
The same girl taught me that sometimes you just have to get away to calm down.
Bruce and Jordan taught me that people need positive influences in their lives.
Kayce taught me that it’s okay to be shy around people at first, as long as you open up to them eventually.

And there is so much more. This is just a few out of many things they taught me. There are some I can’t even begin to think of!

I wanted to write this long post about how much Outward Bound did for me, and how great it was, but I can’t. I don’t know how to wrap this up. Outward Bound has been in my thoughts EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. for a full year. How am I supposed to finish this?

Speaking of not knowing how to finish my Outward Bound posts, how am I supposed to finish this one??

If you ever have any questions about Outward Bound, feel free to email me. Talking about Outward Bound is one of my favorite things to do – I’ve written over 200 posts about it! When I started recapping my trip, I had no idea that it was going to take me a year. I had no idea that I’d reach so many people with it. I had no idea what it was going to do to me.

A huge thank you to North Carolina Outward Bound School (NCOBS) for linking to these posts on their website, and an even bigger thank you to them for offering these courses. Outward Bound changed my life, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to share it with everyone.

Thanks to Jen and Katie, Glenn and Patrick, Josh and Nicole, Matt and Whitney, and everyone else behind NCOBS. You all helped so much, and without you, it would have been a lot different.

Thanks to my Dad, for making me do Outward Bound. I didn’t want to do it (lets be honest, I was scared to death.) but he made me. And I’m so glad he did.

Thanks to my Mom, for letting me go for two weeks.

And thanks to everyone who has listened to me talk about Outward Bound non-stop. I’m sure it must be exhausting, and I’m sure you’re sick of it, but I can’t stop. It truly was an amazing experience, and things like that are meant to be talked about, right? 🙂

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More in this series:<< Life After Outward Bound, Part 2
Category: Outward Bound
  • Tui Snider (@mentalmosaic) says:

    Sounds like Outward Bound was the perfect push out of your comfort zone and into something more expansive and wonderful. Isn’t it great when those scary leaps pay off so well? I never did outward bound, but I did spend a month in England with a friend’s family as a teen (after working my buns off to pay for the flight over) Boy, did I learn a lot from that!

    August 17, 2013 at 10:05 AM
    • Brett Jonas says:

      That sounds like a great experience! And yes, Outward Bound was definitely the perfect push. 🙂

      August 19, 2013 at 6:02 PM
  • Grammy says:

    Brett – your amazing job did not stop when you got home from OB. Your ability to capture the emotions, the dynamics, and the lessons to be found is also amazing. I walked with you as you told your story and was able to feel your fear, your joy, your determination, and your faith. Congratulation for all the work you put into the experience and for being able to relive it so others might benefit from your journey. I’m so very proud to be your grandmother.

    August 21, 2013 at 3:27 PM
    • Brett Jonas says:

      Thanks, Grammy. That really means a lot to me. 🙂

      August 22, 2013 at 1:06 PM

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